The Final Installment: Book Three of Sophia
by Writersmagnet
Summary: The battle takes place in two realms; one of which only the dead can battle within. But there is a slight problem: most of the dead cannot remember their names, let alone how to fight. Aboveground, Melina is busy preparing for war. Without Poseidon, however, the war cannot be won. But they are going to have to try. This is the final installment. All rights to Rick Riordan.
1. Chapter 1

**Sigh. It feels good to start a new book, doesn't it? Just a fresh clean slate. Well, hi readers, and here's Chapter 1!**

Right now, all Sophia wanted was to escape this madness.

She couldn't see; she was too tired to open her eyes, and even if she could, all she would've seen was red. Blood streamed down her face, running over her closed lids, trailing to a puddle in the floor where she lay on the floor on the brink of consciousness.

Her legs were broken; she could feel that much, and judging from the pain level, they were each probably broken more than once. Nemesis had also whipped her a couple of time in her legs, and she knew she was probably bleeding down there as well. Her arms were in similar condition.

Sophia felt someone moving toward her, and she braced herself for another blow. A knife came down, stabbing her in the shoulder. White hot pain seared through her body, but she didn't scream. She lost that ability days ago.

Was it days? Sophia wasn't exactly sure how long she had been stuck in this hellhole. Time seemed to merge together in her murky mind, and her sense of the inanimate object was gone. She could've been down here for a century and she would'n't have been able to tell.

She felt a whip on her back, and she managed to move a little bit so the whip didn't end up hitting a healing mark. That little movement didn't do much for the whip Nemesis used had spikes on it, and she could feel blood begin to pool on my back. She felt a foot on her back pressing her body deep into the floor. Sophia felt something crack, and she winced. There goes another rib.

Sophia retched, her puke purely blood, and Nemesis kicked her as she left the room. She thanked the gods for this little mercy. She didn't know how much more of Nemesis' torture she could take.

Darkness began to creep up on her mind, and she welcomed it with open arms.

The sound of someone approaching her jolted her from her sleep. With her inability to open her eyes, she didn't know who it was, but there was power in the aura so it was obviously a god. It wasn't Nemesis; she didn't walk like this. This gait was slow and reluctant, like this person didn't exactly know what to make of the situation. Sophia didn't blame the god. She probably looked like roadkill, literally.

"Oh gods," said a voice she recognized. She couldn't put a name to the voice, but it sounded familiar. She knew it was a man, the low, deep timbre was unmistakenable. "Sophia...you poor child." She felt tender hands flip her on her back. Sophia yelped in pain, surprised to find her voice working. It was still weak and raspy, but it worked. The man began rambling helpless, which she found comical considering the fact that the man was a god and anything but helpless. The man slowly lifted her tiny form, and Sophia was surprised to find that nothing hurt anymore. A warmth flooded through her, and she could open her eyes. The god looked down at her, a grim look on his face. Curly black hair bounded in all directions, reminding Sophia painfully of Leo. Blue eyes and elfish features were also prominent in this particular god, and they were the identifying aspects Sophia needed to verify the god. It was Hermes.

" 'er savin' me?" Sophia slurred. Hermes' face turned grimmer.

"No, child," he told Sophia. "However, I do wish that was indeed what I was doing. You are far too young..." He trailed off, and they heard footsteps approaching the door. A quick bright light and the two of them vanished, appearing at what looked like a reception center.

The place was overly crowded with people. Some of them were sitting in chairs; others were pacing. Some people were dressed in clothes that could've come out of an old fashioned movie. Where we stood was a desk. The receptionist was muttering something about people not having coins. He was chocolate skinned, with bleach blonde hair cut in a military-style buzzcut. He wore a suit with a black rose pinned to it. On the other side, there was a nametag, which Sophia was surprised she could read clearly. CHARON. From looking at him, Sophia could tell he was a grumpy person with a warped sense of humour.

The receptionist eyed Hermes with a death glare. "You've got another one, eh?" Sophia was surprised Hermes didn't vaporize him then and there. Gods didn't take kindly to being disrespecting, but, judging from Hermes' lack of a reaction, Sophia deduced that this happened often. Hermes carefully lowered Sophia to the floor, where she tried to stand. She was surprised she could, though she was wobbly. Where did all her injuries go?

"Where did she come from?" Charon asked Hermes, irritated. "Most spirits come walking through my door unless it's a special case."

"This is Sophia," he said. "Daughter of Poseidon and Percy Jackson's sister."

"That kid!" Charon exclaimed. "He was the demigod with his friends that finally got me a decent raise! I owe him!" His face returned to a more serious expression. "Still, why exactly is she being delivered here by _you_?"

"She was in Tartarus," Hermes explained. "Nemesis was torturing her down there." Charon's sullen expression turned into one of a saddened distaste.

"My half-sister is up to her old tricks again, isn't she?" Charon said. He looked down at Sophia. "It's rare that I pity a soul, but I will make sure she gets on the next boat as long as she has a drachma." By now, Sophia was confused. A boat? What was happening to her?

"Wait, what's going on?" Sophia asked, regretting how she always fell asleep in Mr. Stoick's Greek class. Her knowledge of mythology had major gaps. Percy had tried teaching her a little over the summer, so she knew enough to fight monsters, but not enough to actually have background knowledge to truly succeed in the Greek world. Charon's snide humour was back.

"Honey, you're dead. Jump for joy." Wait. She was _dead?_

Sophia gazed down at her hands. She felt pretty solid. The back of her hands were still covered in blood, but she could tell they were still solid. She pinched herself. She could feel her own skin, and it was solid. She felt normal. _Alive_. How was she dead?

Hermes put his hand on her shoulder. "I know it's difficult to believe, but Nemesis had tortured you to death. Your body didn't have the strength to help the antidote kill off the poison. Now, you will go to the Underworld, where you will be judged. If you see my son, Luke, tell him I'm proud of him." The last sentence made Hermes' voice crack, and he gave Sophia a golden drachma before flashing out. Sophia gazed at the coin. She'd seen a drachma many times; after all, she _was _a demigod, but never had she felt so hopeless when holding it. This was her ticket to death.

Sophia couldn't help but look at the coin and think about everyone she left behind. Poor Melina. She could picture her best friend laughing, her long dishwater blonde hair licking the small of her back. Melina must've felt crushed.

What about her newly found family? Her mother was probably so full of grief, but she was probably not as bad as Percy. Sophia had gotten really close to her brother during the year they were together.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Charon tapped Sophia's shoulder. She turned, and he held her hand. "Come on," he said, taking the drachma from Sophia's hands. "I don't want to wait all day." He turned around. "If any of you touches my radio, I will make sure you stay here for another millenia!" He ushered some more spirits into an elevator which led down to the Underworld. Sophia looked down at her hand, surprised to find Midnight sitting on her finger. As they sank deeper into the Underworld, the ring turned black, and the golden trident turning silver. She wondered why she still had it for she could've sworn she saw Melina fight with it when she had come in Tartarus. Being so close to Charon, she didn't draw the knife to see if the blade changed colour also. She was pretty sure the dead weren't allowed weapons, and she had a feeling that she would need this knife eventually.

The elevator stopped, and the spirits exited all rushing for a boat in a river. Sophia just stood there asa feeling of utter hopelessness and dread filled her. That was it. Once she crossed that river, she was no longer a part of the living. Charon grabbed her by the hair, dragging her to the boat, muttering something about how much his job sucked. He threw her into the boat, and she nearly fell into the River Styx. She probably would've if one of the spirits hadn't grabbed her and helped her regain her balance.

This man was in his early forties. He wore a suit and tie, which made Sophia think he was a business official or something before he died. Black hair was cut short and gelled back, making the man look like someone from the fifties. Knowing Charon, he probably was. His hazel eyes showed concern.

"You alright?" he asked Sophia. He had a Southern twang. She nodded. "It would be a shame if a gorgeous girl like you fell into the river." Sophia blushed. She wasn't used to being complimented.

The entire ride across the river was silent, and Sophia just looked down at the river. It was pitch black, and awfully polluted. Percy had told her that the River Styx was where the dead threw away their dreams. Sophia was so tempted to throw away everything she was still holding onto. The emotional pain was unbearable. She couldn't do it, though. They were the one thing that still connected her with the living.

The boat stopped, and everyone was unloaded. Sophia turned around to see a giant dog guarding several overcrowded lines. Charon sorted the spirits out, pushing Sophia in the front of the line to be judged. She felt so small as she looked up at the thee judges. She didn't recognize any of them, and before she opened her mouth to say something, they began reaching into her mind and pulling out necessary information.

"Sophia Jackson-slash-Holt," the one on her left mused.

"Daughter of Poseidon," the one on her right said.

"Abused as a child," the center one declared.

Then the three judges began to blurt things out so quickly Sophia couldn't keep up and only got bits and pieces.

"-saved her best friend."

"-warned the gods."

"-worthy of being considered a hero?"

"-all she did was save her friend, not a god-"

"-but Poseidon-" All of the judges were cut off by a loud buzzer, and all three of their eyes widened.

"It couldn't be-" one of the judges began.

"-but it is," the other finished. "We're being attacked."

The entire organization of the Underworld went crazy. Spirits were running back and forth. From a distance, Sophia could faintly see an army parading through the Underworld. It was obvious they had risen from Tartarus. Skeletal warriors approached the army and began to hold the army off, but Sophia knew they wouldn't last long. Sophia remembered Nemesis' plan quite clearly, and she knew she needed to get out of the Underworld and warn the living.

But how could she do that? She was dead. No dead person had ever managed to get out of the Underworld. Would she even be able to make it back if she left? Would her injuries return the second she left the Underworld?

Right now, that was the only plan she had. She thought long and hard. There had to be more than one door out of the Underworld. She could vaguely remember a myth about someone who tried to get his lover out of the Underworld. Where was that door? She ran around the Underworld, searching around. It had to be past the main gates. After running around for what seemed like hours, she found a dark staircase. This had to be it, right? Why else would there be a staircase in the middle of no where? She followed the staircase up. It was pitch black, and the only reason Sophia could see was because her spirit form was emitting a light. The higher she went up, however, the more the light she emitted dimmed. She safely assumed it was because she was getting closer to the living, and her spiritual body was becoming more solid.

She finally reached a wall. The second she touched it, however, it opened. Sophia found it surprising, but she didn't really dwell on it.

The sun was blinding, and Sophia squinted. It had been so long since she had seen the sun; she wanted to cry. But the pain hit first.

It was dehabilitating, and getting worse by the second. She probably had only minutes before she'd return to the state she was in Tartarus. If that was the case, she needed to get to Camp. _Fast._

She found herself in the middle of Central Park, which she immediately recognized. Her current dillema was how in the gods she was going to get to Camp. The pain got worse and Sophia fell to her knees. She could feel bones begin to break, and she prayed to the gods that her legs wouldn't be affected. She'd need them if she had any way to get to Camp.

She remembered her bracelet. She looked down and, sure enough, her bracelet was on her wrist. She moved her other hand to her bracelet,and nearly screamed when she heard the prominent _crack!_ That arm was broken. She closed her eyes and quickly thought of Camp Half-Blood, right outside Thalia's tree. She opened her eyes, relieved to find that the bracelet worked despite her undead state. She could feel herself on the verge of unconsciousness, and she screamed as another bone broke. Her voice was now useless as it returned to the state it was before. She closed her eyes as they became just as they were right before she died. She could feel someone kneel beside her and gasp.

"Sophia?" the voice muttered to themself. "How did you-never mind let's just get you some help." The same person turned around and screamed to someone nearby. "Lou, go get Chiron! Quickly! She's hurt!" That was the last thing Sophia heard as she slipped into unconsciousness.

**Well look at that. Sophia's back. =) Tune in next FRIDAY (unless I update sooner) to see what happens when Melina finds out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! I have sooo many ideas and I'm SOOOOO excited for this book. Like, words can't describe how excited and happy I am. The format will be different now. There will be 2 chapters in 3rd person Sophia's POV and the next two will be 1st person Melina's POV. It will keep alternating somewhat like that.**

**Well, without further adieu, here's Chapter 2!**

Sophia couldn't tell dream from reality.

She was on the floor in her prison. Nemesis came forward, a menacing gleam in her eyes. Nemesis knelt beside Sophia, her sharp, perfectly manicured nails biting into the flesh of Sophia's arm.

"Aren't you a pretty one?" Nemesis said. "This will all end if you join me." Her other hand began absentmindedly tracing her nail across Sophia's arm.

"No," Sophia replied weakly. "I won't." Nemesis grabbed the arm and wrenched it backwards. A loud crack, and the bone splinted. Sophia could see the bone sticking out of her flesh as she screamed, the pain too much for Sophia. Nemesis moved toward Sophia's ear.

"You will join me," she whispered in her ear, "or die trying to resist me."

The nightmare began to fade, and Sophia returned to the blackness that was encasing her in a protective bubble. She was in pain-she could feel that-but it was dulled by a warm feeling that seemed to seep into her. It was nice and comforting.

Her nightmares would return periodically, each one worse and more vivid that its predecessor, but for the most part, she found herself in her little bubble, alone with her thoughts.

Sophia wanted nothing more than to wake up. Being in this bubble, she felt helpless, and it annoyed her. She wanted out, now.

She fought to wake up, and her bubble eventually burst. She was coming closer to consciousness, but it was like trying to swin to the surface in quicksand. She fought it, but it wouldn't yield, and Sophia began to panic. A hand went on her forehead.

"Sophia, child, take your time," a man's voice said. "Do not struggle. Relax." Sophia heeded the man and relaxed. Sure enough, she felt the thick grip of unconsciousness loosen and let go. She opened her green eyes and closed them immediately. The light was blinding. Behind her eyelids, Sophia could feel the light dim, and she cautiously peeled her eyes open again. A man was looming over her, a concerned look on his face. A sledgehammer of memories hit Sophia on the head.

"Chiron?" Sophia asked, her voice raspy. She tried to shift position, but Chiron wouldn't let her move.

"Don't exert yourself," Chiron told her. "You were in quite the state when we found you."

"Where's 'Lina?" Sophia asked, her voice cracking. She began to panic "She 'right? 'Ercy?"

"All in due time," he told her gently, like he was talking to a child. "Relax. They're safe. I'm going to change your bandages."

He removed her covers, and Sophia nearly gasped as she looked down. She wasn't in a nightgown: just a bra and underwear, which in any other situation, would've made Sophia feel awkward and uncomfortable, but she realized that a night gown would've probably brought back bad memories. She was glad he didn't put her in one. Chiron hesitantly put a hand on her abdomen, like he was expecting a reaction. When he didn't get one, he began removing the bandages slowly . By the time he finished, Sophia was disgusted by the way she looked.

Her torso looked like a truck had ran over it. Whip marks, most of which having stitches, were crisscrossing her stomach. A deep stab wound in her stomach was held together by stitches, and it looked infected. Sophia knew her torso hadn't taken as much damage as her back did, and she could only assume it was worse. Her limbs were all in plaster casts, which made Sophia feel grateful. She wouldn't have to see those either. She knew she had multiple stab wounds on all her limbs. Nemesis was relentless. Chiron examined a few of the cuts as he began tending to some of my wounds. Exhaustion was tugging at Sophia's eyelids, but she knew she couldn't sleep now.

"Rest, Sophia," Chiron told Sophia as he tended to a cut on her cheek. "You're exhausted."

She gave into the fatigue and fell into the darkness once more.

The next time Sophia came to, she was alone.

It was so dark, she couldn't see anything. Fear grew within her, and all she saw were her old tormentors face. She could feel his greasy, large hands roaming her body, and Sophia screamed. The image morphed to Nemesis, smiling menacingly, holding her knife. She was going to strike.

"Please, have mercy," she begged, though she knew with Nemesis, that was futile. It actually fuelled her anger more. Sophia screamed again.

The lights turned on. Chiron stood in full centaur form at the door, his bow drawn. However, when he saw Sophia lying there, tears in her eyes as she frailed on the bed, still unable to tell dream from reality, he realized that something real and tangible was not the threat . His bow vanished into thin air as he trotted toward Sophia, kneeling beside her bed. He put his hand on Sophia's forehead as she moved about. His hand emitted a golden glow, and the images Sophia was seeing vanished. She came back around to reality and burst into sobs.

"Th-the dark," Sophia stuttered.

"Hush, child," he told her, stroking her hair as he comforted her. "It's okay. You are safe." He opened a drawer beside the bed and pulled out a bottle of nectar. He uncapped it, bringing the bottle up to her lips. She drank the thick liquid, slumping onto the bed as it filled her with warmth. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she slept once more.

The next time she woke up, she heard voices outside her door. Sophia would've strained to listen if she hadn't felt so drained. Down in Tartarus, she wasn't allowed sleep unless she passed out, which only happened if Nemesis felt merciful. Nemesis rarely felt merciful.

The door opened, and the two people she'd wanted to see the most walked in. They cautiously walked up to her bed, not exactly sure what to do. Sophia didn't blame them. They did see her die.

Melina approached the bed, leaning over her best friend. There was a tense silence that Sophia had to break. She hated silence, because it brought back bad memories.

"Your hair," Sophia breathed, wincing as she lifted her broken hand to touch her best friend's now short dishwater blonde hair. "You cut it..." Melina put her hand on top of my plaster-covered arm, and lowered it back to the bed.

"Chiron said not to let you move too much," Melina said. Sophia was slightly surprised at Melina's lack of emotion. She didn't understand why Melina was like that.

Percy came up on the other side of Sophia and cautiously hugged her, avoiding her wounds. He sat in one of the chairs beside her bed, and she took a long look at her brother. He looked so much like he did before she died, and she found it strange.

"You're back," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, tears sliding down his face with a grin. "I thought I had lost you-"

"Are you really Sophia?" she said. "Or perhaps you were one of Nemesis' spies. Tell me now." Melina drew her knife. "I don't like to deal with bullshit." Sophia decided to stay calm. She shot Percy a pointed look, telling him not to get himself involved.

"Melina Porter," I said, wincing as I shifted a bit. "You have a birthmark on the bottom of your foot that you don't let anyone see. You absolutely can't stand our literature teacher, Mr. Walrus, because he doesn't teach very well. You hate being tickled and are a real wuss when it comes to glass cuts. You have a scar on the inside of your wrist from when your mom got mad a couple of years ago and threw a beer bottle at you. I stitched that up with pink thread since that was the only one I had. You made fun of me for it. I put a rainbow coloured fish on your back for April Fool's day, and it took you ten whole minutes to figure it out." Melina smiled at the memory, and Sophia could see her old friend come back. She sheathed her blade and gave Sophia a vicious hug. While pulling away, Melina's fingernail scratched a bit of exposed skin by her shoulder, and the scene before Sophia changed before her eyes.

She was back in the cave, her head on the floor. Nemesis had her hand in Sophia's arm, wrenching her up. Sophia winced as Nemesis half dragged her. Her legs had stopped working a while ago; Nemesis had broken them, and moving her caused her extreme pain. Nemesis reached a room with generators, and she hooked Sophia up to the generators. Sophia closed her eyes, not wanting to see the glee that was emanant on Nemesis' face.

"Daughter of Poseidon, you know what is an excellent conductor of electricity?" she asked. It was a rhetorical question; Nemesis never actually asked her a legitimate question, so Sophia didn't reply. "Water."

Sophia shuddered as stong voltage of electricity flooded through her veins. Sophia could hear herself screaming as the voltage increased. Her body shook, opening old cuts and aggravating new wounds. She didn't have the liberty of passing out; Nemesis drugged her with something to make sure she didn't. She felt like she was turning to liquid. The pain transformed to a warmth as she heard someone yell her name. The image dissolved, and Sophia blinked, finding herself in her room.

Sophia realized something was wrong. Chiron was kneeling beside her, his hands on her torso. Percy was all the way on the other side of the room, holding Melina protectively. Melina was looking at Sophia with a mixture of confusion, terror, and concern.

"Percy, Melina, it's safe," Chiron said, his voice calm but worried. "She's back. Sophia, are you alright?" The last sentence was directed at her, and Sophia leaned into Chiron and sobbed.

"Oh dear child," he said. Melina and Percy came closer, kneeling beside Chiron.

"Sophia, what exactly happened in Tartarus?" Percy said, hesitating before putting a hand on hers. "You can tell us anything, you know that."

"Yeah," Melina piped in. "We won't abandon you."

It wasn't that Sophia didn't want to tell them; it was that she wasn't sure if she was ready to tell them. The experience was traumatic, and she wasn't sure if she could tell them. She didn't know if she could relive everything that had happened yet. She cried even harder. She didn't want to do that. She shook her head.

"Chiron, Percy, can I talk to Sophia alone?" Melina asked, tenderly. She and Chiron locked eyes, having a silent conversation.

"Percy, come with me," he said. "Let your sister have some privacy." Percy followed Chiron out the door, not before shooting Sophia a look of concern. When the door closed, Melina walked toward the chair and sat down.

"Sophia, talk to me," she urged. "Obviously something had happened down there, and we need to know. We care about you, and we want to help you, but we can't if you don't tell us what is going on."

"Melina, I can't," she said. "I'm not ready." She pressed her lips together, obviously not happy. Noticing my discomfort, she changed the subject.

"You need rest," she said. She put a hand on Sophia's. "Whenever you need me, I'm here. Just ask for me." She left the room, and Sophia fell asleep a few minutes after.

**Tune in next FRIDAY(4/12/2013) for the first chapter in Melina's POV, and a council meeting to discuss the unfortunate 'circumstances'...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! I'm sorry I took so long to publish this chapter. It's been a rough month with writing, and I really wanted to make this chapter good. I took this time to carefully plot out some plot issues and really see where I'm going from here. I've also been planning the follow-up trilogy, and I can tell you that the first book of that trilogy will be called 'Karolena'. It will be set a few years after the end of The Final Installment, so look out for that!**

**My publishing schedule will change as the summer comes closer. I get out of school on June 3rd, so expect updates to be 2-3 times (if not more) per week. I really would like to finish this trilogy in July, the same month I started last year, (Yes, I have been writing this trilogy since July 2012)**

**Updates should be regular from now on unless something comes up.**

**Without further adieu, here's Chapter 3!**

I didn't know what to think.

I saw my best friend die before my eyes. I saw when her heart stopped beating, when she stopped breathing. I saw her body burn, kindling the fire of her pyre. How in the gods was she still alive?

"Melina, can you tell me about your quest again?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," I told him.

He led me to a table in another room of the Big House and we sat down. He folded his hands in front of him, and nodded for me to start.

Chiron didn't react much. His eyes darkened when he heard about Nemesis in Tartarus. When I got to the part where I saw Sophia, I paused, the memory a little painful. Chiron took this as an oppurtunity to ask me a question.

"How badly was Sophia injured when you saw her?" he inquired thoughtfully.

"She had a huge gash in her leg, and her leg was broken. Her arm was too. She had lost a lot of blood. I mean, she was sitting in a puddle of her own blood." I shook my head at the memory. "When Nico tried to give her nectar, she was begging him not to. She said something about the liquid hurting her. I was thinking...could Nemesis have given Sophia more poison?" Chiron leaned back in his wheelchair.

"I would not be surprised," he said. "That is Nemesis' style. Go on."

So I continued. He didn't say anything. When I finished, his eyes went all distant.

"Melina, go gather up all the camp counselors. We will have a counsel meeting in fifteen minutes to discuss current events. I would like you to be there as well as Percy." I nodded, standing up and leaving the Big House.

Fifteen minutes later, the Rec room of the Big House was full of people. Clarisse, a daughter of Ares, was absolutely smothering a son of Hebe at ping pong. One of the Stoll Brothers (I can never tell them apart) was trying to pour nacho cheese on a sleeping son of Hypnos. Annabeth and Percy in the corner were making out, and one of the daughters of Aphrodite was gawking at the couple. Lou Ellen, a daughter of Hecate, was sitting at the table alone, her head down as she levitated a pencil up and down. She was obviously bored.

Out of nowhere, the doors flung open violently, and a scream echoed throughout the entire place. All the talking ceased as a room of deadly demigods drew their weapons, expecting a threat.

Erin and Karolena had burst through the doors, swordfighting. They were both sweating and covered in dirt. Karolena wore rags, and her exposed skin was painted with bleeding cuts. Erin wore a very revolutionary war sort of outfit, with her short brown hair in a low ponytail.

"Please, one more day, Javier," Karolena begged convincingly, with a very olden day accent. "This woman has left behind a suffering child. I need to find her a home! Three days are all I need!"

"No, Prisoner 24601," Erin replied. "Scum like you can never change."

"My name is Jean Valjean!" Karolena retorted dramatically."I swear it, three days and I will return, Javier, and then you can do what you may!" I put my hand to my forehead. They were reenacting a scene from Les Misérables. Oh course, it wasn't word for word, but they got the main idea of the scene.

"Never!" Erin said. Then she stabbed the sword lightly at Karolena's chest. Karolena dropped her sword, melodramatically gripping her chest where Erin had poked her.

"I'm dying," she said slowly as she began to very slowly fall to the floor. "I'm dying...I'm dying...I'm DEAD!" Karolena hit the floor, staying there unmoving. After about two seconds, they both stood up.

"And scene!" they said simultaneously. The entire room stayed silent, not exactly knowing how to react. Now, I knew that that last part hadn't happened in Les Misérables, but I guess Karolena had probably begged to pretend to die, so they improvised. I did the only thing I could think of; I walked up to Karolena, grabbing her arm and examining the cuts.

"Erin!" I scolded. "Be careful! Karolena looks like she jumped in a pit of broken glass!" Will Solace, the head counselor of the Apollo cabin, approached Karolena, pulling out a small square of ambrosia which I gave to Karolena. She ate it, and her cuts disappeared.

"Being a son of Apollo," Will said, nodding toward Karolena and Erin, "I must say, that was a pretty okay performance. Les Misérables was one of my favourite musicals."

"Oh, it was mine too," I said. "For my audition for a musical at my school, I sang a song from it." He met my gaze, and for the first time ever, I realized how intensely blue his eyes were. They were absolutely gorgeous. He looked away awkwardly, and I blushed. I could feel the entire room's eyes on me, and I shifted awkwardly. Thankfully, Chiron entered the room. Everyone went to sit down at a large table in the middle of the room in their respective positions. All the chairs were full except one, and I tried to not remember the person who would've sat there. No, Melina, I told myself. He isn't worth your thoughts.

"How are war preparations?" Chiron asked, nodding at the silent figure sitting beside Annabeth. Ever since Sophia's death, Leo hadn't been the same, peppy person he used to be. He was dark and silent. I was surprised he didn't know of Sophia's reappearance. I suppose Chiron wanted to keep it quiet.

Leo mumbled words into Annabeth's ear, and she repeated them loudly. "He says they've made quite a bit of traps and ammunition. We should be okay. I found some inventions in Daedalus' laptop, and I've had Leo make some prototypes. If they succeed, we could have some serious firepower."

"We have infused some of the ammunition with magic," Lou Ellen said, a gleam in her eye. "I think Nemesis will be in for a surprise." Chiron nodded.

"I believe Melina has never told you about her quest," he said. "I have just heard the story fifteen minutes ago, and it is imperative that you guys know that Poseidon has been kidnapped." A chorus of gasps filled the room. Chiron nodded towards me, and I told my story. Karolena, Erin, Percy, and Annabeth pitched in facts that I missed. When I got to the part about Sophia, Leo looked up at me, tears in his eyes. Seeing the dead look in his eyes, I wanted to cry. He was truly crushed. I wanted to scream out that she was still alive, but I knew I couldn't.

By the time I finished, the entire room was giving me strange looks. Then all hell broke loose.

People were screaming opinions at each other, and Chiron had to calm everyone down.

"Children, we have other problems at hand-" Chiron began, only to be interrupted by an ear-piercing scream. The entire room quieted, listening to the screams.

"PLEASE, NO! I BEG OF YOU!" the voice screamed. Chiron gave me pained look. It sounded like Sophia had a nightmare.

"Who is that?" one of the counselors asked.

"Melina, can you go take care of that?" he said. I nodded, glad to leave the room. I headed to Sophia's room, and pulled the door open.

Sophia was thrashing around, tears in her eyes. I grimaced. I didn't like seeing my best friend like that. The covers of her bed had been kicked off the bed, and her body was exposed, and I could see the bandages that wrapped her body.

I moved toward my best friend and gripped her hand, which was the only part of her limbs I could grab. The other limbs were covered in casts. Her hand was burning hot, and I could guess Sophia had a fever.

"Sophia," I urged, squeezing the hand. "It's Melina. I'm here." Sophia thrashed harder, and her hand slip out of my grip. One of her legs kicked me in the stomach, and I doubled over, the wind knocked out of me. Damn. She was violent.

When I recovered, I dodged Sophia's hand as it came zooming dangerously close to my face. I kneeled down beside Sophia's ear.

"Sophia!" I yelled. "Sophia! You're not there!" Her thrashing stopped, and I moved away from her ear. Sophia stirred and her eyes shot open. She saw me kneeling there, and she threw herself into my arms, sobbing. I stroked her hair, hoping to not trigger another flashback.

"You're not there, you're not there," I murmured. "You're safe." Sophia was shaking in fear in my arms.

"Melina, I was scared," she managed to say between sobs. I felt my shirt get wet, and I looked down to find it soaked in blood. That can't be good.

I pushed Sophia off me, and helped her lie back down on the bed. She winced as I shifted her, and she put a hand to her bleeding abdomen.

"That's been bothering you, hasn't it?" I asked. She shook her head, and I raised an eyebrow. We had a staring contest, and I won.

"Everything hurts," she replied, tensing as a wave of pain rippled through her. She turned to the other side and vomited into a bucket that was placed beside her bed. When she turned around, blood was trickling down her chin, making her look like a vampire. That can't be good.

I pulled out a bottle of nectar from the drawer beside her bed and brought it to her lips. She had trouble swallowing the liquid, but she managed to gulp some of it down. She relaxed, but it was obvious the pain was still bugging her.

"I'm going to go get Chiron," I told Sophia, "but before I leave, do you want to talk about what you saw?" Sophia's green eyes went dark, and she shook her head. I sighed, defeated, as I went to go get Chiron.

As I reentered the Rec Room, everyone turned their eyes to face me. Chiron turned, and frowned at the blood on my shirt.

"Her wounds busted open," I told him. "It's pretty bad. You might want to go check on her." Chiron grimaced.

"Very well," he said. He turned to the counselors. "Annabeth, take over for me. I will only be a minute. Melina come with me." I followed him down the hall to Sophia's room. Sophia lay there, semiconscious. The white sheets she lay upon were stained with blood, and I knew that even though she had only been bleeding for a couple minutes, she lost a lot of blood. Chiron cursed heavily in Greek, which was something totally uncharacteristic of him.

"I assume you have fed her some nectar already?" he asked. I nodded. He grabbed a towel that was lying nearby and began unraveling the bandages. Each time one layer of the bandages was removed, Sophia would wince and squirm. The movement made her exhausted, and by the time he reached the final layer, she was out cold.

Chiron began wiping the blood that kept continuously pooling off her abdomen, and I could get a glimpse of her injuries. She had a giant stab wound on her stomach that was pretty much the source of most of the blood. A yellow liquid leaked out from it, and I could tell it was infected. She had various of other cuts around her stomach, several of which I recognized as whip marks. There was a smaller hole where it looked like a spear had pierced her. I winced. She must've been in so much pain. Chiron was silent as he worked on her wounds

I pitied her. She was tortured by Nemesis for so long, and she was obviously deeply affected by it. Not only was she severely injured, but she's been having hallucinations, and from knowing Sophia as long as I did, I knew that this had hit her pretty hard.

Part of me was still suspicious of Sophia. I wasn't one hundred per cent positive I could trust her. She could still be a spy from Nemesis.

The more I think of it, however, the more I don't believe that. Something deep inside me keeps telling me I'm being stupid. This is the real Sophia.

Chiron sighed after he finished stitching her up and putting new bandages. "She cannot move if she is to heal, but her nightmares are causing her to thrash about. Melina, can you bring Clovis?" Clovis was the son of Hypnos, the god of sleep. He was a boy with thin, wispy blonde hair. He was fairly skinny, which surprised me, seeing that all he did was eat and sleep all day. He had baby blue eyes. When I brought him the room, I was careful to make sure he stayed awake. Children of Hypnos quite literally sleep all day, and unless you constantly bug them, they will fall asleep mid-sentence.

"Clovis," I asked, snapping my fingers under his nose to keep him awake, "do you have any idea how to stop her nightmares, or at least make her sleep through them?" Clovis yawned, stretching.

"I'd have to know what her nightmares were first," He knelt beside Sophia, and put his fingers on her temples. He closed his eyes as his fingers turned gold. I saw Sophia relax under his touch. They stayed like that for a minute.

Suddenly, Sophia grimaced and shifted a little bit in her bed. Clovis ripped his hands away. He turned to me, his usual drowzy expression wide awake, like someone had injected him with six shots of expresso.

"What did you-" I began, but he cut me off.

"The only way you are going to stop those nightmares is if you sedate her," he told us. "They're too disturbing and powerful for much else." He pulled out a vial of milky liquid from his pocket. "This should help." He yawned, the high obviously fading. He exited the room, and I was pretty sure that if I followed him, he would fall asleep before he returned to the Rec Room. I gave Chiron the vial and he fed a little bit to Sophia. She relaxed as the liquid began to take effect. I smiled. It was good to know that she was going to have some well-needed rest now.

"Do you think she'll recover fully?" I asked Chiron. He placed a wetcloth on Sophia's forehead before responding.

"For the most part, I believe so," he told me. "She was in quite the state when she was brought to me, but with plenty of rest and nectar, she may make a permanent recovery."

"How about mentally?" I asked. He sighed

"She is in a fragile state," he said, stroking her hair. "Her journey here was long and traumatic. She is having trouble discerning dream and memory from reality." He began stroking her hair. "She's been having trouble recognizing certain people and things. I fear Nemesis used visions of people she knew to torture her as well. I am positivve she will never fully recover, because no one ever fully recovers from trauma. But will she recover enough to function? I am not sure." Chiron wheeled himself over to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "She will not be the same person you once knew. I ask that you help your best friend. She needs you now more than ever. " I nodded, feeling the weight of the responsibility put on my shoulder. I knew Sophia would do the same for me.

"I will," I promised. "I will."

"Head to your cabin," he told me. "I will go adjourn the counsel meeting." He wheeled out of the room, leaving me alone with Sophia. I took one backwards glance at my resurrected best friend before walking out of the room.

As I was walking back to my cabin, someone put a hand on my shoulder. I whirred around, drawing my knife out of habit.

Behind me stood Leo. His Camp Half-Blood shirt was stained with grease from working in the forges. He had a hand in hi shair. After Sophia's death, he had lost a lot of weight and the inner spark within him had diminished. Now, the light was back in his eyes, and I knew that Chiron had told the campers about Sophia. I was happy for Leo.

"How is she?" Leo asked, nervous. I bit my lip, not exactly knowing how to break the news to him.

"She's resting," I told him. "She was beaten up pretty badly." Leo grimaced. He didn't like that.

"But she's alive/" he asked, probably just to confirm it. I nodded. He smiled, and turned around, waling away.

I felt happy for Leo. It was nice to see someone whose love life was perfectly okay. I flashed back to the letter I found on my bed after breakfast last week.

It was the day after Sophia's funeral. I went to my cabin after breakfast to change into my armor for sword fighting, only to find a note written on my bed. It was in Ancient Greek, and I picked it up and began to read.

It said:

**_Dear Melina,_**

**_I suppose you must be angry at me now. When Sophia died, I saw a part of you had shattered, and me being the son of Hades, I felt personally responsible. After all, Hades is the god of the dead._**

**_I figure you must never want to see my face again. Hatred toward me must be burning in you right now. I suppose I should leave, so you will never see my ugly face again._**

**_I bid you adieu,_**

**_Nico DiAngelo_**

__I stood there after reading the letter, many emotions flooding through me at once, one of the more obvious ones being brokenhearted.

I shifted my focus to present day, and as the memory became lucid in my mind, I headed to the only place I could think of that could offer me comfort.

I needed time to think.

**Yep, this is in Melina's POV. The format of this book will be 2 chapters of Sophia 3rd person and 2 chapters of Melina 1st person back and forth. This is a challenge for me, but we'll see how it goes, shall we? FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AT WRITERSMAGNET, and tune in next Friday to see what Chiron plans to do next...**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry this chapter is short! It's much shorter than my other chapters for a reason. Despite it being short, it is a very important chapter. So here's Chapter 4!**

I headed to the beach, careful to stay as far away from the tide as possible. With Nemesis having control of the seas, I didn't want to get too close, afraid that something would pull me under the water and take me to her.

It was night, and I knew that, if the harpies saw me, I'd get in really big trouble, assuming they didn't eat me first. I didn't care however; so much had happened today that I really needed the time to myself.

My thoughts wandered to Nico, and I felt confused and upset. Why did he just leave? I mean, I understand that he obviously felt bad, but it seemed way too sudden.

I also felt heartbroken. I thought there was actually something between us. For the god's sake, we kissed! Twice! Now I was just confused. Did I creep him out when I kissed him? Was I just not appealing enough for him? What hurt me the worst is how easy he made walking away look, like whatever was between us didn't matter. He didn't even feel that I was important enough to tell in person; instead, he told me it through a terribly written letter. I didn't know what to think, and all this was giving me a headache.

I thought of my best friend. Part of me resented the fact that she would be forever depressed. I didn't know if I could handle having a friend like that. I was afraid I would lose all patience, and snap at her when she needed me most. I winced at the thought. I would be such a bad friend if that happened.

A shadow loomed behind me, and I whirred around.

Behind me stood a man. He was way taller than I was, maybe about six feet, and very muscular. His deathly pale skin contrasted his long, Greek style robe. Looking at his robe closely, I saw faces fade in and out of the clothes, like the clothes were made of liquid. The thought sent shivers down my spine.

His face was also deathly pale, with black eyes framed with thick lashes. Long, dark hair fell in his eyes, messy and untamed. My heart constricted when I realized how much this man looked like Nico. I lowered my gaze to my feet.

"Uncle Hades," I breathed.

"Hello, Melina," Hades replied. He sat beside me, and I resisted the urge to squirm at his aura. He emanated death, literally. We sat there, admiring the waves for a while in silence. He broke it.

"I've always admired my brother's domain," he told me. "Everyone fears death." He turned to me, his face concerned. "I have no grudges towards my brother, Poseidon. As much as Zeus would disagree, we do need my younger brother to survive the war." He turned back to the ocean. "Speaking of the dead, how is Sophia?" I froze. Oh gods, he _knew? _Of course he knew! He probably came to take Sophia back to the Underworld. I knew that lying to a god was not a good idea, so I told him the truth.

"She's in pretty bad shape," I told him. His expression softened.

"May I see her?" he asked. I couldn't deny him, so I nodded. I was curious as to why he was so interested in Sophia. Was there something wrong? Was he going to take her back? All these thoughts began swirling in my mind as I led Hades to the Big House. When I entered, Chiron turned toward the door in his wheelchair and bowed his head.

"Hello, Lord Hades," Chiron said. "I had a feeling you would come to visit sooner or later. Come. She's in the other room." Chiron led the god down the hall to Sophia's room, and I followed. Sophia lay on her bed, a frown evident on her face. She probably was dreaming about something slightly unpleasant. Hades strode beside her and put a hand on her forehead.

"Her soul is exhausted," he told us. He stroked her hair. "Death is simply a place for the soul to rest, and hers never got the chance to rest. It needs strength and sustinance." He gently removed the covers and unraveled the bandages encasing her abdomen. "I allowed her to escape because she needed to warn you. My realm has been overrun by Nemesis' troops." When he reached her battered skin, he put his hands on her stomach. Her body glowed, and I watched in awe as the injuries disappeared.

"She'll still need to rest," he told Chiron. "Feed her some nectar and ambrosia. I'm not sure if her bones are healed. She may wake up with a fever from the overuse of power, but besides that, she should be fine. Physically, at least." He turned to me. "You, Percy, and Sophia are the key to the survival of the gods. The gods had an old prophecy since before the beginning of time about you three. War is brewing as we speak, and I will leave you with this one bit of advice; you need your father. I won't be able to keep Nemesis at bay for long, maybe a few weeks. I wish you the best of luck, and may the gods help you." Hades walked into a shadow in the corner and vanished, leaving me with more questions than answers.

**Tune in next week for Sophia's POV! REVIEW AND FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AT WRITERSMAGNET!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys! Sorry this chapter is so late; it had to be rewritten like five times because I didn't like it. Now, I'm not exactly sure if I can write a chapter fast enough to publish next week simply because I'll be really busy with school, and I have to prepare for an audition at a theatre on June 4th which I'm SUPER excited for (Yeah, I'm a Thespian. Whatcha gonna do about it?) **

**By the way, when summer hits, I should be updating practically every couple of days, but some of the updates will be spread apart if I make the show I'm auditioning for, and with marching band and speech camps, but I will at least promise you guys an update every Friday. So yeah, here's Chapter 5!**

When Sophia woke up the next time, she found Melina in her room.

Sophia knew her best friend long enough to tell something was wrong. She sat in the chair beside her, her head in her hands. From years of musical theatre, Sophia and Melina naturally breathed from their diaphragm, which makes their stomachs rise and fall, but when Melina was worried, her breathing style changed and she instead took giant chest breaths. Melina's short dishwater hair was frizzy and unkempt, like she hadn't brushed it.

"Melina," Sophia said, her voice raspy. It hurt to talk, but she did it anyway. Melina looked up at her. Melina's hazel eyes were bloodshot, not from crying, but from staying up late. The bags under her eyes were huge, and they contrasted heavily with Melina's pale skin.

"What's...wrong?" Sophia asked. Melina hurried ignored her question.

"Sophia, when was the last time you ate or drank something besides godly food?" Melina asked. Sophia thought about it, careful to keep away from memories that would give her a vision. Sophia drew a blank.

"Can't...remember," she said. Speaking was an effort. Melina noticed this and gave Sophia a mini whiteboard and Expo marker. It was a teal blue, and it made Sophia smile. It felt good to smile for the first time in forever.

"Hades came in and healed you," Melina told her, "but he said you'd still need to rest. You're still pretty weak." Sophia carefully sat up, ignoring her body's protests. Her body felt creaky, like a machine that hadn't been oiled in a while. Sophia looked down at her hands, the first time she had actually observed them in a long time. Her fingers used to be long and slightly chubby but now they looked like bones with skin stretched tightly over them. Her tanned skin looked paler than snow, and it felt wrong. Melina was observing Sophia warily.

Melina, Sophia wrote down on the white board,_ what do I look like?_ Melina leaned over, reading what Sophia had written. Her face contorted to one of pity.

"Sophia..." Melina said. "You've been through a lot. It has taken a toll on your body- " Sophia shook her head violently.

"Melina..." Sophia insisted. Melina sighed, and handed Sophia a mirror from a drawer in the table beside her bed. Sophia didn't look at the mirror for a second, afraid of what she'd see, but curiosity got the best of her and she looked up, gazing into the mirror.

The face she was staring at was alien to her. Her green eyes seemes too large to possibly be hers, and they were framed by dark bags that looked like someone had used marker beneath them. They had a haunted look in her eyes, reminding her of the sea at its worst. Her usually baby plump cheeks were sunken in, making her face seem insanely small. Her hair was a good inch or so longer, and now it easily fell past her shoulders in greasy, droopy waves. It was usually a bright auburn colour, but now it looked like an ugly mousy brown. Her skin looked paler than milk.

Sophia stared at the alien in the mirror. This wasn't her. Sophia never looked like that. She didn't look that weak. She wasn't that pale, or skinny, or defeated-looking. She stared at the mirror, determined to prove the mirror wrong. Someone had to be playing a trick on her.

Sophia's hand trembled, and Melina tenderly took the mirror from her hand. Sophia continued to stare at the place where the mirror was, despite its absense.

"Sophia...?" Melina asked. Sophia shook her head, biting her lip.

"Not...me," she said. Melina gave Sophia a pained smile.

"Your body has been through hell and back, literally," Melina told Sophia tenderly. "Don't worry about the way you look. Once we get some legitimate food into your system, you'll look just as you did before." Chiron entered the room in his typical wheelchair. He gave Melina a scolding look, which Sophia assumed was because he could tell she hadn't slept.

"Sophia, how are you feeling?" he asked. "Does anything hurt?" He tenderly lifted Sophia's hand and put his fingers on her wrist, taking her pulse. Sophia noticed her limbs were no longer in casts.

"She's a little warm," Melina told Chiron. Chiron grimaced as his hand moved to Sophia's forehead.

"It is not too concerning," he said. "It seems to be fading." His eyes moved up to Sophia. "Nothing hurts?" he repeated. Sophia pointed to her throat. He pressed his lips into a line. "Do you think we could try walking?" Sophia glanced at Melina, who shrugged her shoulders. Sophia stared down at where her feet would be beneath the blanket. She assumed she could try.

"Sure..." Sophia gently pulled her legs out from the covers, swinging them over the side of the bed. She was in a nightgown now, which made her feel better around Chiron. Melina held out her hand for Sophia, and Chiron had turned in such a way that Sophia could use the handle to help her keep balance. The second Sophia put weight on her legs, they crumbled beneath her, and Sophia fell to the floor. Melina hadn't let go of Sophia as she fell, and as shr pulled on Sophia's hand to pull her up, and the world around Sophia faded.

Sophia found herself in Nemesis' arms. She was semi-conscious, but she knew there was no way Nemesis was going to let her completely pass out. Sophia felt herself being secured into some sort of machine, and Sophia wanted to groan. Nemesis was a bit of a sadist so she had so many torture machines made and lying around.

A soft clink noise, and Sophia felt her arm being pulled painfully. Sophia screamed, thrashing about. Nemesis laughed and Sophia heard the clinking noise again, followed by excruciating pain. Sophia's arm was pulled out of its socket, but that didn't stop Nemesis from continuing to pull on that arm.

Suddenly, Sophia was jerked back into reality. The vision dissolved, and Sophia found herself on the floor of the Big House. Chiron was out of his wheelchair, exposing the white horse part of him. He was kneeling on the floor, looming over Sophia. He nodded, satisfied that Sophia was back to reality, and began to edge his way toward another figure on the floor, Melina.

Sophia quickly crawled (or attempted to crawl) over to where her best friend was lying on the floor, curled up.

"Melina, are you alright?" Chiron asked. Melina shook her head, remaining in that curled up position. "Melina, I need you to relax," he told her. "Lie on your back." She obeyed, shifting her body. As she turned around, Sophia saw a bruise on her face, and she instantly felt bad. She must've been thrashing around, and it must've been terrible. Sophia felt so bad. Chiron gave Melina some ambrosia, and her bruises faded.

"Sorry...Melina." Sophia rasped. Melina sat up, wincing and giving Sophia a forgiving smile.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault." She put a hand on Sophia's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about what happened?" Sophia's eyes widened at the thought. There was no way she was telling anyone about Tartarus. She still wasn't ready.

Chiron and Melina exchanged glances, and they had a silent conversation. Sophia hated it when they did that. It made her feel left out. Exhaustion began to overwhelm Sophia, but she pushed it aside. It wasn't important.

"Melina, continue reteaching Sophia to walk," Chiron told Melina. "I must go teach a class at the moment. I'll send Percy in here to help you, and I'll come check on your progress later."

Chiron wheeled himself out, and now only Melina and Sophia sat in the room. Melina put a hand on Sophia's shoulder, and Sophia involuntarily recoiled at the physical contact. Melina withdrew her hand.

"Listen, you have to tell us what happened down there," she said. "You've obviously been deeply affected by it, and I don't blame you for it, but we want to help you. We can't help you if you don't tell us what happened." Sophia put a hand to her stomach. The thought of what they did to her in Tartarus was just too much for her.

The two best friends remained silent for quite some time before Melina broke the silence.

"Come on," she said. "Let's get you up and walking again." Melina helped Sophia stand, and as they began practicing, Percy walked in. He wore his usual Camp Half-Blood shirt with a pair of jeans Sophia recognized. They were his favourite pair, and they were a little worse for wear. Percy immediately took over Sophia's right. After a half hour of walking (which ended up not really walking, but standing training), Sophia collapsed on the bed in exhaustion. There was barely any progress, and Sophia was too tired to do anything more. Everything was hazy.

Melina put a hand on Sophia's forehead. She grimaced. "That fever got worse, didn't it? I'll go get Chiron." Melina left the room to find him. Percy helped Sophia move back under the covers of the bed.

"I told Mom about you," Percy said. "She really wants to talk to you. She said that you don't have to right away." He put a hand on Sophia's. "She really misses you. I think it'd be a good idea if, once you're better, we went back to Manhattan for a while. It might be good for you to just get away from everything demigod related." Sophia thought about her mom; the mom she had only discovered the year before. Having a family that actually cared about her was something totally new for her. She didn't realize the pain she must've put them through when she died and came back to life. She felt bad.

Percy must've read the look in Sophia's eyes. "Don't feel bad. I've put Mom through more than just dying and coming back. We children of Poseidon tend to do that." He chuckled, and Sophia had a good feeling he was being literal about the dying-and-coming-back part. She didn't know how he did it, but she knew he did it.

Chiron returned with Melina through the door. He shot Sophia a look of pity, and Sophia cringed at it. She didn't need pity. She could take care of herself. He put a tender hand to her forehead, grimacing.

"It has definitely gone up," he said, frowning. "That is bizzare." Chiron gave Sophia a weird look. "Has Nemesis done anything to you that I should know about?" Sophia froze. She was praying this wouldn't come up. _Oh gods,_ Sophia prayed, _please don't tell me this is what I think it is._

Melina put a hand on Sophia's shoulder. "I know that look on your face," she said. "It's the 'deer in the headlights' look. Please tell us, Sophia. We want to help you. We won't judge you."

"Percy," Chiron said, "can you take your sister back to her cabin? Make sure she gets some rest." Percy nodded, putting an arm around Melina and leading her out, despite her protests. When they were out of earshot, Chiron turned to Sophia.

"Is there anything you would like to tell me now that we are alone?" he asked. Sophia shook her head, biting her lip. She wrote on her whiteboard, _Nemesis has infiltrated the Underworld_. Sophia, having written music and read scripts, was used to her dyslexia and had overcome most of it, but when she was stressed or reading or writing for a long period of time, it came back. Chiron glanced at the board, and sighed again. "I'm aware," he said. "It's a tragedy." Soohia wrote another sentence on the board, and when Chiron read it, he turned pale.

"Oh Styx," he breathed.

The board read, _And the giants are all rising with Gaea_.

**Dun dun dunnnn. Well, you probably saw that coming, but hey, it's a legit cliffy. So I'll see you ASAP. DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AT WRITERSMAGNET!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys1 It's Writersmagnet here! I haven't been feeling well lately, and this chapter was rewritten (plot wise) several times because I got a better idea as to what I wanted to do. I know this chapter is short, but I promise they'll get longer.**

**My update schedule (now that I'm out of school) will be more frequent. There will at LEAST be a chapter out every Friday, but expect one every few days. I plan to finish the book by July, and start on Karolena by then.**

**I'm also starting a new story, which will just be a collection of various PJO oneshots. I might make a separate story for Annabeth's POV oneshots, but we'll see. I NEEW IDEAS FOR ONESHOTS SO PLEASE GIVE ME SOME IDEAS IN THE REVIEWS! I really would appreciate them, and when I get a few one shots completed, I'll post the name of the story in case you haven't author alerted me. That story will not have an actual schedule in which I update (it will pretty much be when I have time), so expect that coming out soon.**

**Damn, Writersmagnet. Long author's note much? Well, anyways, here's Chapter 6! I do not own Percy Jackson!**

When Sophia woke up the next day, she found herself in the Poseidon cabin. Chiron must've moved her there when she was asleep.

The cabin walls seemed to glow and ripple like waves, making the little bronze hippocampi hanging from the ceiling look like they were swimming in the waves. It was midday, and sunlight streamed through the windows, which all faced the ocean. A fountain in the corner spewed salt water in the air, and Sophia took a deep breath, smelling the ocean. She relaxed. This was her home.

Sophia shifted a little in bed, feeling for any injuries or pain. Her bones cracked as she moved, but everything was okay. She slowly sat up. She didn't feel like she had a fever, and she was pretty sure that Chiron wouldn't have moved her if she still had the fever.

Percy walked into the cabin. He was shirtless, revealing muscles that made girls want to swoon. He was also wet, which was odd for children of Poseidon since they didn't get wet unless they wanted to, but Sophia knew that sometimes, Percy liked to let himself get wet just so he could feel the water on his skin.

He saw Sophia awake and went to hug her, but as he approached her, Sophia edged as far away from him as he could, and he got the message. Instead, he sat on the opposite bed.

"Gods, it's so good to see that you're better." he told her, a smile on his face. "Your fever faded soon after you slept, so Chiron was able to feed you some nectar and ambrosia. He then moved you here. Chiron said that he will come and give you one last checkup. After that, we're going to go back to Manhattan for a little bit to see Mom and Paul. They really want to see you." The idea of facing everyone made Sophia nauseous, and she found herself throwing up in a garbage can beside the bed. Percy frowned. "Nemesis has Poseidon, you know," he informed her, obviously ignoring the fact she threw up. "The sea is no longer safe for us. Don't tell Melina or Annabeth I swam today. They'll kill me for it. Everyone is forbidden from going anywhere near water, but sometimes, I just need to get away from everything for a little while." He raised an eyebrow. "You know what I mean?"

Sophia nodded. She knew exactly what he meant. Sophia got involved in theatre for the same reason. Her body felt like a cage sometimes, slowly suffocating her, trapping her. It was liberating to morph into a character, to let herself become a different person, for a while. Percy concentrated for a minute, and all the water that was on his body suddenly flew into the air and landed in the fountain, making tiny splashing noises. He picked up a T-shirt from a nearby drawer, threw it on, grabbed the garbage beside Sophia's bed, and walked out of the cabin.

After a few minutes, Chiron wheeled himself in the cabin. "I see you are awake," he said as he positioned himself beside her bed. He gazed at her analytically. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Sophia replied quietly, looking down at her lap. Chiron raised an eyebrow.

"No vomiting, nausea, pain...?" he asked.

"Vomiting," she replied.

"Was it an emotional reaction?" he inquired. She nodded. He reached for Sophia's wrist. "May I?" Sophia nodded, and he gently lifted her wrist, his gaze flickering when he felt her stiffen under his grip. His hands were cold, and the contact was making Sophia involuntarily recoil. _Come on_, she told herself, _Chiron doesn't want to hurt you_. Regardless, she still had that feeling of unease. She didn't want any physical contact whatsoever.

After a minute, Chiron carefully placed her wrist down on the bed and carefully put a hand on her forehead. Sophia flinched again at the physical contact, and Chiron's eyes flickered down at her. Sophia mentally scolded herself.

"No fever, pulse is normal," he muttered. He removed the covers and gently began to lift Sophia's gown up a little. The second he tried to do that, Sophia froze and began kicking about.

"No," she begged, edging back toward the bed, trying to get as far away from Chiron as possible. Chiron grimaced.

"Sophia, I don't want to hurt you," he said tenderly, speaking as though he was talking to a child. "I want to help you, but in order for me to help you, you have to let me touch you." Sophia shook her head, tears streaming down her face. She didn't trust anyone to put a hand on her anywhere. She didn't move, and Chiron just sighed.

"Do you want to perhaps do it for me?" he asked. "I swear upon the Styx that I won't touch anything. I just need to verify that the worst of your wounds are gone." Sophia thought about it for a second. She didn't like the idea of Chiron seeing her bare flesh. Flashes of unwanted people touching her dominated her mind, and she shuddered. The rational part of her mind was screaming at her. _This was Chiron,_ it whispered. _You can trust him. Besides, he swore he wasn't going to touch you. _After weighing her options for a minute, she agreed, lifting her lacy white nightgown up to right below her bra. This made her feel awkward and violated, especially as Chiron scanned her chest, but Sophia ignored it. She looked down at her bare abdomen, and saw that she had a few cuts and unhealed bruises. They were once part of larger wounds, but Hades managed to heal the worst of her injuries

"Can you flip over on your stomach?" Chiron asked. Sophia hesitated, not wanting Chiron out of her sight, but she mentally scolded herself. Her body protested as she slowly flipped herself over on her belly. She could feel his eyes boring into her back, and she squirmed in discomfort. After a minute, Chiron told her she could turn over and pull down her gown.

"Be careful," he told her. "Do not exert yourself. Your body is still recovering, and it will take a few weeks to return to its previous state. If you start having nausea or you vomit come directly to me. You are excused from all classes until further notice." Chiron wheeled himself out of the room.

Sophia stood up carefully. She felt stronger than yesterday, and she assumed it was because of the godly food Chiron managed to feed her while she was asleep. She began to walk, taking slow steps. She was a little wobbly, but much better than yesterday. She took a shower, feeling the best she had in ages after cleaning all the grime from her body. She changed into a blue t-shirt and jeans and left the cabin.

The emotions within Sophia had been boiling for quite some time. Her body wouldn't let her tell anyone about her experience, and the events were gnawing at her, desperate for escape. They overwhelmed her, and she needed an outlet. Absentmindedly, she found herself in front of the Apollo cabin. She walked inside, her feet having a mind of their own.

The interior of the cabin was large, and it had two stories. A staircase was in the corner, leading up to the second floor. They were a light oak wood, and they creaked when walked on. The walls were covered in a gold wallpaper with suns on them that seemed to gleam. Archery equipment hung on the walls above each perfectly made bed, which all had gold covers to match the colour scheme. Musical instruments were in cases oron stands all over the room, making it seem cluttered.

In the corner of the room, there was a piano. It was covered in dust, and Sophia grabbed a little bench to sit on as she opened the piano cover. The keys gleamed white and black, and Sophia brought her skinny fingers to them and played a C major chord. The piano emitted a nice, bright chime, and Sophia's body relaxed. She let her emotions run free, entering the world she created years ago as an escape from the terrible world she was living in. She let the music tell the story she couldn't tell anyone; the story of a girl that had lived through the burning horrors of hell, the story of a girl that emerged from the darkness, the story of a girl, shattered beyond repair, who was picking up the broken pieces of her soul

When Sophia's entire story had been, she played one final note, and it vibrated through her body, striking a chord in her heart. She heard clapping, and she turned around to find her best friend standing there.

"I knew I would find you in here," she said, plopping down on the bench beside Sophia, making Sophia uncomfortably shift farther away to the edge of the bench. Melina frowned, but didn't say anything as she tenderly brushed the piano keys. "You always play the piano when you have things to say." She glanced at her best friend. "It was beautiful, by the way." Sophia blushed, looking down at her feet. She didn't like it when people complimented her. "Percy told me that he was going to take you home today. It might be good for you to get away from all things Greek for a while." Melina glanced at the clock on the wall. "Come on, Percy wanted me to find you." Melina stood up to leave, but Sophia grabbed her arm, digging her nails into her best friend's flesh.

"Come with me," she begged. Melina gave Sophia a look of pity, and nodded.

They walked together down to the top of Half-Blood Hill by Thalia's tree, where Percy was waiting for them with Argus. Argus had dozens of eyes, all over his body, and he was the camp security guard. He never said anything, and rumour had it that it was because he had an eye on his tongue. The ADHD part of Sophia wondered what Argus would do if he needed glasses.

"Melina, you're coming with us?" Percy asked, obviously confused as to why Melina was here.

"Sophia wanted me to come along," she said. The two had a silent conversation for a minute, and Sophia shifted uneasily. She didn't like it when people had silent conversations. It made her wonder whether or not they were talking about her. They probably were. After a minute, Percy broke the silence.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go." They walked toward the car, and Argus slipped in the driver's seat while Percy, Melina, and Sophia squeezed in the back. Sophia moved as far away from her two siblings as possible, squishing herself up against the window. She didn't want physical contact.

Percy and Melina were violently whispering to each other, and Sophia was totally aware they were talking about her. She knew she wasn't the girl she was before. After Tartarus, there was no way she was the same person she was before it, and Percy and Melina were having a hard time figuring out how to deal with this new Sophia.

The nervousness in the pit of her stomach grew as they got closer to Manhattan. She dreaded seeing her mom and her step-dad. She felt guilty for making them think she was dead when she wasn't. She didn't want to face them after knowing the pain she caused them.

She was lost in thought until Melina put a tender hand on Sophia's shoulder, causing her to flinch at the contact.

"We're here," Melina said. Sophia, already miffed by the hand on her shoulder, exited the car, following her siblings into her apartment lobby. They squished themselves into the elevator, and the dread within Sophia grew. She didn't want to see her family.

The elevator dinged, stopping on their floor. They knocked on the wooden door to Sally's house, and Sophia wanted to throw up. She leaned on the wall for support.

"Sophia, are you okay?" asked Melina. Sophia nodded, not wanting to seem weak. Melina gave her best friend a skeptical look, and Sophia immediately knew she didn't fool her. Sophia moved away from the wall, trying to deter any suspicion Melina had.

The door opened, and the scent of warm cookies filled the hallway. Sally stood there, her auburn hair tumbling down to her shoulders. She wore an apron, which was covered in flour. The second she saw Percy, she threw her arms around him.

"Percy!" she said. "I missed you so much!" Percy hugged his mom back.

"I missed you too," he murmured. She pulled away, noticing Sophia. She went to hug her, and Sophia tried to shake out of her grasp.

She was falling, falling, falling. The world faded to blackness.

**Tune in soon to find out more! FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AT WRITERSMAGNET! Until then, keep on writing!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Yep, I wrote Chapter 7 in pretty much a day. As I said, my updates will be more frequent, especially since my goal is to finish this book by July so I can start on Karolena!**

**LEAVE ONE-SHOT IDEAS IN THE COMMENTS! I NEED THEM!**

**Here's Chappie 7!**

When Sally hugged Sophia, I immediately knew that was a mistake.

"Sally, take her inside!" I shouted. "She's having a flashback!" Sally picked up Sophia and ran inside. The living room was the first room we saw. It was very brightly lit, thanks to all the windows. The walls were all painted a light blue, which was appropriate, considering who her son was. The living room cut into the kitchen without a door, and a long, thin hallway led to the bedrooms and bathroom. The living room had a large table. Surrounding it was a large couch behind the table, and one large armchair on either side. The long couch seemed to be made of a fabric, verses the armchairs which were made of leather, and the large couch faced a small T.V. set. Sally tenderly placed her thin daughter on the living room couch.

"Mom, back away from her," Percy warned, a hint of danger in his voice. She did the second Sophia began thrashing around, screaming incoherent words. Paul, Sophia's stepfather, ran in from the kitchen when he heard the screams. He held a knife, scanning for the threat, but when he saw Sophia thrashing on the couch, he softened, walking over to Sally and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Paul. I shook my head.

"This one is a stronger one," I told them. "She has to live through it." I dodged Sophia's frailing limbs and knelt beside her.

"Sophia," I whispered into her ear while tenderly running my hand through her hair. "You're not there anymore." I began to murmur comforting things in my best friend's ear, but no matter what I said, she was still in that mindframe. I backed away carefuly.

"I can't get her to respond," I told the Jacksons. I glanced back at my best friend, wincing. I hated seeing her like this. She was going through so much pain; it was hard to watch. Part of me wished she was dead. At least then, she wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

"What happened to make her like this?" Sally asked. Did they not know about Sophia's torture in Tartarus? I glanced at Percy, who gave me a pained look. Percy must've only told them about her getting sick and died. He didn't mention Tartarus, probably for their own good. My gaze flickered to Sophia, whose screams had gone silent. She was still thrashing around, which was strange, but I deduced that maybe Nemesis had gagged Sophia in the flashback.

"So Percy didn't tell you guys the full story of Sophia's death?" I quickly verified. The couple nodded. Percy came and stood beside me,

"You guys might want to sit down," he said, sitting on one of the two large armchairs in the room. I squeezed in beside him. Sally and Paul took the other armchair, with Paul sitting down in it first, and Sally sitting sideways on his lap. She leaned back against him, and he embraced her with one hand, the other hand in her hair.

"I told you guys about the poison," Percy told his family. He was obviously uncomfortable telling them the full story, and I took over.

"What he didn't tell you was when Sophia was passed out for ages because of the poison, her soul was taken to Tartarus, where she was tortured relentlessly. She didn't know she was passed out, and it was like she had a second body. She was injured. She could feel pain. In fact, when Percy and I went to Tartarus-"

"You guys went to Tartarus?" they both said simultaneously. Sally shot a scolding glance at Percy.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked Percy. Percy shifted uncomfortably.

"I just didn't want you getting worried." he replied. Saly relaxed, her gaze on Sophia.

"So anyway," I continued, "we went to Tartarus and saw Sophia there." I grimaced at the memory. "She was badly injured. Blood was everywhere, and she had broken bones and cuts and..." I trailed off, the image permanently burned in my brain. I shook it off. "Well, when she died, she managed to excape the Underworld, and she returned with full memory of everything that had happened to her, plus all the injuries she had aquired shortly before she died." I gestured toward my half-sister, whose thrashing had died down a little bit. She must've been nearing the end of her flashback.

The room went silent for a minute, and Percy and I shifted in our seats. I was finally thankful when Paul broke the silence.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," he murmured. "She has PTSD." Sally stood up and knelt beside Sophia, carefully dodging Sophia's weak hand movements. Paul followed her, wrapping his arm around Sally as he knelt beside her.

"My baby," she murmured, moving a strand of hair away from Sophia's face. At that moment, Sophia stirred and opened her eyes.

"Hey," I told my best friend softly. "How are you?" Sophia shook her head, tears in her eyes. I yearned to put a hand on my best friend's shoulder for confort, but I resisted, knowing how much she hated physical contact lately.

"She's going to get me again," Sophia sobbed. "Don't let her. _Please_ don't let her." I glanced at Percy, a pained look in my eyes. I expected him to have a look that mirrored mine, but instead, his gaze was one full of rage. His green eyes resembled the ocean at its worst; when hurricanes and tsunamis wrecked havoc upon millions of people all over the world. It was a dangeorus look, and I definitely never wanted to see Percy fight when he was in that mood. No monster in Tartarus would stand a chance against him.

"I won't let anything happen to you," Percy growled, his voice low and menacing. I reverted my attention to my best friend. I could tell that flashback took a toll on her. She was visibly shaking, and her entire body was tense. She looked exhausted, and I knew that flashback took a lot of her energy and willpower. Paul handed Sally a blanket, and she covered Sophia with it. She shot her mother a thankful look as she snuggled under the covers. Her eyes fluttered closed, and her breathing steadied almost immediately. Sally kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"Let's head to the kitchen," Paul said, putting a hand on his fiancée's shoulder. He glanced at Percy and me. "There are some things we need to discuss." We all walked to the kitchen and sat in chairs around a small circular table. The kitchen was tiny, with cabinets crammed together against the walls. The kitchen was also a light blue, and this made me think that the entire apartment probably was all blue. Sally pulled a tray of cookies out the oven. They were blue, chocolate chip cookies, and they made my mouth water. Gods, they smelled good.

Sally put them on a plate and put them in the middle of the table "They're hot, so you should let them cool a bit before eating them," she cautioned as she sat down. "So, what's your name?" Sally asked. It took me a minute to realize she was talking to me. I stuck out my hand.

"I'm Melina Porter," I said. "Daughter of Poseidon, blessed by Athena."Sally smiled, shaking my hand.

"I'm Sally, Percy's mom," she said. "Feel free to just call me Sally. This is my fiancée, Paul." I shook his hand as well.

"Nice to meet you," I said. I already knew who they were because Percy had told me their names in the car, so these introductions were pretty useless to me. I stared at my hands in my lap, fiddling with my thumbs. We sat in awkward silence for a minute or so before Paul's curiosity began to kick in.

"So, what's going on in the demigod world?" he asked. Part of me wanted to scold Percy for not keeping his parents updated, but the other part of me understood the dillema Percy had with telling his family. He didn't want to stress anyone out, especially his mother. Since there was quite a bit going on in the demigod world, I decided to start with what was most relevant.

"Poseidon's been kidnapped," I said. They gave me a wide-eyed look, and I launched into the story about my quest, which explained pretty much everything that had to be explained. While I was telling the story, Sally leaned back in her chair, seeming to have aged ten years.

"Have you talked to Rachel?" Sally asked. "She may have a prophecy for you guys." I shook my head, remembering what Hades told me.

"Hades mentioned an ancient prophecy about three children of Poseidon, but he never went into detail, saying it was secret. I don't think Rachel would have that information," I said, shifting in my seat. I hated not knowing what to do. It was against my blessing's nature. Athena _always_ had to have a plan. not having a plan made me feel stupid, and somewhat naked.

"I think you guys should find your father," Paul said. "It seems like Poseidon is the only way this war can be won. Besides, what if, when the poison gets stronger, it will weaken you guys more? Is that a risk you guys are willing to take?" Oh gods. I had forgotten about the poison. Paul had a point; how did we know the antidote was _permanent_?

"Sophia," Percy breathed. He turned to me. "We can't let that happen!" I nodded. I knew exactly what Percy was talking about. The antidote could easily wear off. An image of Sophia lying on the floor of Tartarus returned. If she passed out, Sophia would end up back with Nemesis. My best friend had already been through hell once. She didn't need to go through it again.

Something moving outside the kitchen window caught my eye. I drew Moonlight, my sword, from the sheath concealed in my pant leg. Percy, noticing my weapon, drew Riptide as well. Paul looked at our hands, probably confused from the Mist, but Sally saw our weapons drawn.

"What is it?" Sally asked. "Why are your swords drawn?" I put a finger to my lips, silencing her. Percy and I moved in defense position, the way we usually fought. We edged toward the fire escape slowly, our bodies tensed, poised to strike. I carefully put my hand on the door of the fire escape. It was locked, and I carefully unlocked it, counting in my head to three before whipping it open as quicklly as possible.

There, I saw someone I never wanted to see.

Nico DiAngelo.

**Dun dun DUNNN! Tune in in a few days for the next chapter. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AT WRITERSMAGNET!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys! It's me. Sorry for the long wait; I was super busy and I really wanted to make this chapter a little** longer.** I didn't get around to editing some of it, so if there are typos near the end, please ignore them unless they're pretty severe. I'll come back for them soon.**

**GOOD NEWS! I started writing one of the first one-shots in my little one-shot anthology. The title is going to be, "Living in Moments." I've come to the decision that this story will be VERY pre-written, just to allow me to be able to update more frequently as the school year begins. I think the first couple of one-shots will be released around mid-July. IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR A ONE-SHOT, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW WITH YOUR IDEA! I NEED ALL THE IDEAS I CAN POSSIBLY GET!**

**Now, without further adieu, here's Chapter 8!**

I thought I was going to explode with emotions.

First came elate. I was happy that he was here, in front of me. His presense always stirred something deep within me, and it made me feel like a missing void within me was filled when I was in his presense. It was quite alluring.

The next emotion was rage. How dare he leave me like that! Was I not good enough to say goodbye to? Was I not worth anything more than a note? Gods, we kissed. Twice! Did we have something between us? I couldn't stand the mixed messages I was receiving.

Soon, the anger morphed to curiosity. Nico bid me adieu. What was he doing here then? DIdn't he say he was never going to see me again? What was so important that he felt the need to see me once again?

Nico had his gaze on Percy the entire time, not daring to make eye contact with me. "May I come in? I have important news." The air was tense, and Percy hesitated before beckoning him inside. I noticed I still had Moonlight drawn, and I put the sword back in its sheath before walking inside, locking the door behind me. We returned to the kitchen, and I saw Nico pull up a chair beside me. Oh, gods.

The moment I sat beside him, his scent enveloped me: his sweet combination of leather, fresh soil, and something else I couldn't put a finger on. The smell was nice, and I refrained from breathing it in.

"Hey Mom, Paul," Percy said. "You guys remember Nico?" They nodded, and Sally, probably noticing my discomfort around Nico, gave me a knowing look. She probably figured out there was some tension between us. Percy turned to Nico. "You said you had important news?" Nico nodded.

"Nemesis is gaining ground quickly," Nico began. "I've been down there helping my father as much as I can, but it's no use. If she continues going at the rate she's going, she's going to conquer the Underworld and be above land in less than seventy-two hours." I put a hand to my forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Percy replied exactly what I was thinking.

"Wait, we need more time!" Percy retorted. "The Camp is nowhere near done with war preparations!" Nico shrugged.

"There is one solution," Nico said, "but you guys aren't gonna like it." My momentary hope deflated. I hated this. Annabeth and I were the two top strategists of the camp, and we've been working relentlessly on battle plans. The Athena cabin as a whole helped out a lot, but it was a vey stressful process. This bit of information that Nico gave me totally ruined every single plan Annabeth and I came up with. Shit.

"What's the solution?" I asked wearily, ignoring the fact that we had tension between us. He glanced at me quickly, and in that flash, I saw guilt in his eyes. He felt guilty. I wanted so bad to throw my arms around him and assure him that he wasn't guilty, and that I didn't blame him. I refrained from doing so.

"Sophia needs to go back to Tartarus," Nico said. We opened our mouths to object, but Nico put a hand up, and we allowed him to continue. "Hear me out. The dead can barely remember who they are, let alone fight. The Underworld does that to you. If we can teach them to fight, we can send an invasion team into Tartarus. It would be the perfect distraction, and it will buy you guys time."

"We are not sending Sophia down to Tartarus!" Percy roared. "She's not talking to everyone, her flashbacks are getting worse, she's a crying, emotional mess! I am not sending her down there again! She could die-" Nico cut him off.

"Sophia is dead!" he spat. "Her soul is exhausted! She should be resting in the Underworld, not alive! Her being alive is unnatural!"

"I can't lose her again!" Percy retorted.

"If she dies, it's for the best!"

"If Nemesis captures her, it's her worst nightmare!"

They argued back and forth until they were inches away from each other screaming. I saw the sink begin to rattle, and Nico began to glow. Unexplicable rage grew within me, and I stood up

"Enough!" I yelled, standing up and walking toward them. At that instant, everything in my mind seemed clearer. Everything made sense. Strength I'd never felt before coarsed through my veins. The two boys looked at me in awe, startled.

"Melina..." Percy said. I looked down at myself, startled to find myself glowing gray. When I bent my head to look down, a strand of long black hair tickle my stomach over a long, white, Greek style gown. Wait, long black hair? A Greek style gown?

"It's Athena's blessing," Nico explained. "We saw this in Tartarus, remember?" My supercharged mind quickly put the pieces together. I had done this in Tartarus as we tried to escape. I helped kill all the monsters to clear the tunnel.

I felt the blessing fade away, returning to its typically dormant state. My hair turned back to its short, dishwater blonde colour, and the strength in my veins faded, morphing into weakness and exhaustion. My knee buckled, and Nico rushed to catch me before I hit the floor.

"Easy there," he told me, helping me back to my chair. His touch was electric, and his scent was intoxicating. Percy gave Nico a cup of water tp give to me. I drank it, relishing the little boost of energy it gave me.

"Why do you need Sophia to start the army?" Paul asked. I jumped, momentarily forgetting they were there. "Can't you do it alone?" Nico shook his head.

"Since she's closer to death than I am, she will help communicate with them better," Nico said. "She also has control of things I don't have control of. I need her in order for this to work. Same with the invasion." Nico sighed. "Nemesis wants to open the Doors of Death. If she seizes them, she will have total control of the dead. She can bring monsters and people back to life, and keep the good guys dead. If she succeeds, the war will get very difficult, if not impossible." My headache multiplied immensely. I hated being one of the main strategists.

The plan sounded good, but it wasn't foolproof. There were so many things that could possibly go wrong. Was it worth the risk?

I glanced over at my best friend. Through the empty doorway, I could see her lying on the couch, sleeping. I remembered the flashback she had no more that fifteen minutes

Percy and Nico were both looking at me, waiting for an answer. I was desperate for time, and the belessing trick I had just done had drained my brainpower. It may not have been one of the best decisions I'd ever made, but I knew I had to take this leap. It was either this or nothing.

"Percy," I said, giving my half-brother a look of desperation and exhaustion. "It's our only option. If it buys us time, we need to take it. If we don't, Olympus could fall. We have to talk this chance-"

"No!" Percy yelled, banging his fists into the table. His eyes held a dangerous look, but I kept my gaze firm. "Do you not care about Sophia. Your best friend?" Those words pierced my heart, triggering something deep within me. I stood up shakily, my legs threatening to buckle under me.

"Never say I don't care about my best friend," I said, my rage boiling. I glared at Percy dangerously, but he held my gaze, returning it with a glare of his own.

"You don't," he said. "Athena's blessing has turned you into a cold, calculating person. You don't care how Sophia feels about this-"

"ENOUGH!" I screamed, shutting Percy up. A tug in my gut, and the sink in the corner exploded. "Nico, begin teaching the ghosts the fundamentals. Give Sophia a few days." The sink slowly turned to a stop, and it was then that all my strength left me. I fell, collapsing to the floor before losing consciousness.

Opening my eyes was exhausting.

Everything was a mirage of giant coloured blobs, like I was on a sleep-induced high. They swam in my vision, making my head spin.

I blinked again, and the world came into clearer focus. It was then that I recognized where I was.

I was lying down on the couch in the Jackson's house, the same one Sophia was on earlier. A thin cotton blanket covered my body up to my mid chest level. The living room was empty, and from the sunlight seeping through the window, I deduced it was about ten in the morning.

Yesterday's events came crashing down on me. My head throbbed, and I groaned. I was so exhausted from all the power I had used, and it must've burned me out. I literally had no fuel to function. Note to self: Do not summon Athena's full blessing unless absolutely necessary.

"That would probably be a good idea," said a voice in the corner. I turned my head to find the prettiest woman I had ever seen.

She stood in the corner of the room, her long dark hair falling in perfect ebony ringlets down her back. The hair framed a pale, heart-shaped face that was comparable to milk, with just the perfect amount of freckles to accent her jade green eyes. She wore a long, green dress that flowed and matched her eyes. A pang of jealousy flooded through me as I realized that the woman standing in front of me was exactly what I wanted to look like. I had wished for years that instead of the dishwater blondish-gray colour it was, it was a dark black, or that my eyes were not the deep honey colour they were, but a soft, jade green. The woman standing in front of me was exactly was I envied being, and it was then that I knew who she was.

"Lady Aphrodite," I breathed.

"Hello, Melina," she said. She smiled, revealing a mouth full of perfect, milky white teeth. She walked toward the coffee table. "A shame Athena had to taint you," she said, tracing her finger on the table. "I've always had a soft spot for children of Poseidon." I caught her passive aggressiveness, and I thanked the gods that I probably didn't have the energy to get up and strangle her. I took a deep breath to compose myself before speaking.

"Is there a specific reason as to why you're here?" I snapped, already tired of her presence. She raised an eyebrow, and I was scared that maybe snapping at her provoked her. As much as I hated this goddess, I didn't think it was a good idea to be blasted by her. She is way more powerful than I am.

"Who do you love?" she asked. It was such a simple question. Who do you love? I opened my outh to answer, but I closed it. What did she mean by love? Did she mean like sisterly love? True love? Cliché love? I shook my head, unable to answer it. She smiled in smug satisfaction.

"You're over-analyzing the question," she told me. "This is the curse of the blessing of Athena." She looked down at her finger that was still tracing shapes on the table. "You are forced to live in a fog of knowledge and logic, too blinded to see what is front of you. To see the evident love that is in front of you." She met my gaze, and there was power behind her gaze. "And because of this, I will make your love life just as shrouded as the fog you are in. Mark my words, Daughter of Poseidon. Your fog will be infinite unless you can pierce through the fog the dreaded goddess gave you and see love for what it is!" And with a loud bang, Aphrodite left.

The second her presense left, a sharp, unbearable pain grew on the inside of my wrist. It was like my hand was on fire, the flesh slowly melting off my wrist. I screamed in agony, my exhaustion temporarily gone. Nico ran into the room first, his black sword drawn. He looked like he had just got out of bed, with his messed up hair and wrinkled shirt. He scanned the situation, looking for an immediate threat. When he didn't see one, he rushed toward me. I glanced down at my wrist, and through tears, I could see the blood pooling around it, dripping on the couch. If I wasn't in so much pain, I would've felt bad for staining the couch, but I was in too much pain to care. Nico knelt beside me, carefully taking my hand.

"What happened?" he demanded. I couldn't speak; I was in too much pain, so I just shook my head. Percy ran in, and Nico yelled some instructions at him that I didn't pick up. Sally and Paul ran in.

"What's going on?" Paul asked, frantic. He was shirtless, wearing only a long pair of gym shorts. His fiancée stood beside him, wearing a nightgown under a robe.

"I don't know!" Nico screamed over me. "She can't tell me. She's in too much pain." As instantanously as the pain began, it stopped and the screams died in my throat, leaving it raw. Percy returned with a rag, and Nico wrapped the rag around my wrist, applying pressure.

"What happened?" Nico demanded again. I shifted uncomfortably, telling them about Aphrodite's appearance. Midway through my tale, Percy came and gave Nico a rag, and he began to clean up my wrist. When I had finished, Nico turned grim. "If there's any goddess I hate more than Demeter, it has to be Aphrodite," he told me. "She's such a-"

"So let me get this straight," Percy said, cutting Nico off. "She hates you because Athena blessed you?" I nodded. "That makes no sense. She loves me and Annabeth." I shrugged.

"Have you done anything that could've offended her?" Paul asked. I thought about it for a minute, and shook my head. My love life was evenful, but not in a way that would offend the goddess. I kept thinking back to what she said._ You are forced to live in a fog of knowledge and logic, too blinded to see what is front of you._ That was similar to what Poseidon had told me about over-thinking things. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered whether or not Athena's gift was actually a blessing. It seemed to be more of a curse than a blessing.

"Let's see what this is," Nico said, slowly pulling the now red rag away from my wrist. I looked down.

One word was burned in elaborated cursive on my flesh.

_Infinite_.

**Tune in ASAP for the next chapter! FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AT WRITERSMAGNET! Until then, keep on writing!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'M SORRY! This chapter got deleted five or six times, and I kept having to rewrite it! That's mainly why I took so long! THIS WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN!**

**Anyways, I'm still looking for one-shot ideas for my one shot story 'Living in Moments' which will be out next month probably since this one will be pretty prewritten. SO LEAVE A SUGGESTION IN THE COMMENTS!**

**Now here's Chapter 9!**

Sophia woke up to someone's screams.

She bolted out of her bed, only pondering for a second how she got in her room. She threw on a shirt and jeans, and tied her knotted messy hair into a quick ponytail. As she ran into the kitchen, she passed the living room, noticing her best friend lying on the couch. Her wrist was bandaged thickly, and spots of blood were seeping through the bandage. Her best friend was asleep, but by the way Melina's face was scrunched up, it wasn't an easy sleep.

She entered the kitchen, scanning the room for an immediate threat, and was confused when she didn't find one. Percy and Nico were sitting at the kitchen table, speaking in hushed whispers while drinking what looked like hot chocolate.

"Is everything alright?" Sophia asked, frantic. "Who screamed?" The two boys exchanged glances before giving Sophia a weird look.

"No one has screamed for the past few hours," Nico said slowly. "Are you alright?" Another scream pierced the silence, and it sounded like it was coming from downstairs.

"Did you hear that?" she asked. "There was another scream just now. It's coming from downstairs." Percy gave Sophia a look of pity. _They think I'm hallucinating_, Sophia realized. Anger boiled within her. Why did no one ever believe her? She shot Percy a hard glare. "Look, there's something wrong downstairs, and if you guys don't believe me, I'm going downstairs by myself!" Sophia turned on her heel angrily, and went to the front door, wrenching it open, where she found herself face to face with a monster.

Or should she say monsters. Three old ladies stood at the door, side by side. They had shriveled black skin and bat wings attached to their backs, which made them look pretty ugly. Snakes were entertwined all over the womens' hair, and they hissed a harmony that sent shivers down Sophia's spine. The middle one pulled out a thich whip, which made Sophia freeze in terror. Just the sight of the whip caused a flashback to begin in Sophia's mind, but she fought it, pushing it away. She couldn't black out now.

"Sssssophia Jacksssson," the middle one hissed, lashing out with the whip. Sophia tried to sidestep, but was too slow, the whip hitting her on her left arm with a loud crack! Her arm felt like it was on fire, rendering it useless, and it was then she realized the whip wasn't a typical whip. It had to have been enchanted. Sophia drew her sword, and before she could even swing, a whip hit her behind the knee. She collapsed on the floor, and the flashback got stronger. She felt herself slipping from reality, and she tried to ground herself by focusing on the pain she was in. No, she told herself, I will not black out. She began swinging the sword around, trying to hit one of the monsters, but they kept whipping her, causing her pain level to exponentially increase.

"PERCY!" she screamed. By now, her vision was red, and she could barely see. She had all her concentration on keeping the flashback at bay, and her swings became weaker. She heard Percy and Nico run into the room.

"Alecto! Megaera! Tisiphone!" Nico yelled. "Stop!" Sophia felt the power in his voice, and the whips that Sophia felt pelting her stopped. Sophia closed her eyes. Now there was nothing grounding Sophia to reality, and she fought with the flashback, trying her hardest to send it back. She felt Percy kneel beside her, and he slipped his hand in hers.

"You can do it," he urged. He must've realized Sophia was fighting a flashback, and he slipped a hand in hers squeezing it lightly. She could feel his hesitation, as though he was afraid of Sophia rejecting it, but Sophia now welcomed that little bit of physical contact. Sophia had to ground herself, and the squeeze helped. She tuned herself in to Nico's conversation. Each word Sophia heard pushed the flashback farther back in her mind.

"Sssir, sssshe's an escaped sssspirit," one of the ladies stuttered. "Ssshe essscaped judgment. Ssshe desservesss the Fieldsss of Punisshhhment."

"She has the pardon of my father," Nico clarified, his voice emanating a power that made Sophia visibly recoil. "Therefore, you never had the authority to punish her. Who gave you the orders?" Percy squeezed her hand again, and Sophia squeezed back. It felt nice to have Percy near for comfort.

"No one ssir," a different voice hissed. "It iss our job to keep the dead where they belong."

"This dead one has the pardon of my father," he repeated, the power still resonating in his voice. "And, Alecto, you have no right to reserve judgment on where a soul should go. That is not your department. Now, leave, before I tell father of your actions." Sophia felt a surge of power as those three hags left the room. Now all was silent as Sophia fought her hardest to push the flashback back. It was ugly and thick, and as Sophia kept pushing it back, it would keep finding something to stick on, almost like gum that had been chewed for a long time. It was frustrating, and the second Sophia would stop struggling, even for a second, it would move up as far as it could. It exhausted her, and Sophia felt herself sweating.

Sophia was desperate for something strong to bring herself to reality. She realized she had her hand on her sword, and an idea popped into her head. It broke every single promise she ever made to herself, but she needed to ground herself, and this was how she used to do it before the incident.

She lifted the sword to her wrist and slit it multiple times. Each blinding rush of pain grounded her to reality. She found that all her anger, frustration, and sadness flowed out of her like the blood that was pouring out of the cuts. It left her blissfully numb for the first time in a long time. The flashback disappated, and Sophia opened her eyes. She was still on the floor, blood pouring out of various whip marks all over her body. On her wrist were eight deep horizontal cuts that looked harsh on her pale skin. Sophia closed her eyes again, savouring the peace she felt at that moment.

Sally and Paul ran into the room, both of them im their sleeping attire. "Is everyone okay?" Paul asked. "We heard screaming." Sally's eyes met her daughter's and she fell to the floor beside Sophia. Sophia felt wet, and she realized that she was covered in blood.

"My baby!" Sally exclaimed. She glanced and Percy and Nico. "What happened?"

"The Furies," Nico explained, his teeth clenched. "I swear, when this gets to my father...they will be lucky to see the next millenia."!

"Wait, all three of them?" Paul asked. "What were they doing here?"

"They knew Sophia escaped the Underworld," Percy said, rage evident in his voice. "They wanted to take her to the Fields of Punishment."

"Supposedly, they didn't know about Sophia having Hades' pardon," Nico explained. "I call Minotaur shit on that one. Alecto just likes being an asshole." As the conversation between Nico and Paul continues, Percy and Sally knelt beside Sophia.

"Percy, go draw Sophia a bath," Sally saod. "That will clean her up and heal her wounds simultaneously." Percy squeezed his sister's hand one more time for comfort, but Sophia barely felt it. She was so blissfully numb, and she relished in the moment, her eyes closed. She could feel her sword still in her hand, slick with blood. The floor around her was full of blood, but Sophia didn't feel weak; in fact, she didn't feel anything.

It was a full minute before she realized her mother had asked her a question.

"Sophia?" her mom repeated, panicking. "Sophia? Oh gods, oh gods." She felt her mom feel for her wrist.

"Mom?" Sophia replied, her voice a whisper. She opened her eyes reluctantly, not wanting to leave the blissful state she was in, but forced herself back to reality. "I'm fine." She saw her mom exhale in relief.

"You scared me," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Sophia replied. She wasn't lying; she actually couldn't feel the injuries she had. Judging from the reactions she was getting, she assumed they were pretty bad. Percy returned, and Sophia noticed that his walking speed was a little bit slower, which usually happened when he had just used his powers. It's not a significant difference, but Sophia lived with her brother for quite a while now. She knew his habits.

"That quick?" Sally commented, surprised. Percy nodded.

"I sped the process up," he said as he bent down beside his sister, carefully putting his hamds behind her neck and knees. He hoisted her up in one swift movement, and Sophia hissed, her senses no longer dulled. She felt the pain that ate at her body, and Percy shushed her. He led her to the bathroom and carefully placed her in the hot bath fully clothed. The second her body hit the water, it dyed it pink, making Sophia's stomach churn. She wasn't wet, but the blood was coming off her body almost like she was. Sophia sighed as her wounds began to heal, and Percy smiled at her reaction.

"It's good to have you back," he said. "When you died...I just..." He trailed off, and Sophia met his eyes, green on green. It was then she realized just how much she meant to Percy. It was such a different feeling. Only a little more than a year earlier, she was hated and unloved. She involuntarily looked down at her stomach, knowing exactly what hid there. She could clearly see in her mind the scars that crisscrossed her belly from every single time she had to let the pain out. The one that stood out the most was the last time she cut. It was too deep, and Sophia can remember feeling like she was bleeding to death as she pulled out her first aid kit and began painfully stitching the cut closed. It was that day that she swore to never cut again. And she hadn't. Until today.

"Sophia," Percy asked, hesitantly putting a hand on her arm, shaking her from her thoughts. "Are you okay? You drifted off." She shook the memories from her head and nodded.

"I'm fine," she said, carefully standing up and pulling the plug on the bathtub. "Let's go back to Mom and Paul." Percy gave his sister a weird look before they walked back to the kitchen. They found Nico, Paul, Sally, and a groggy Melina sitting at the table. Melina had a bowl of cereal in front of her that she was awkwardly eating with her left hand. Her right hand was bandaged and on her lap, dots of blood seeping through. Sophia wondered what happened to that hand, but it wasn't the right time to ask.

She plopped down in a chair beside her best friend. Melina glanced up at her best friend, and Sophia saw a flash of guilt go through her best friend's honey eyes. Guilt? What could Melina possibly feel guilty about?

A piece of paper was spread out on the table that Sophia recognized immediately as a battle plan. The thin, curvy Greek writing was easily recognizeable as Melina's.

"You said your army was a good three to four thousand ghosts, right?" Melina asked, her voice strictly business. Nico nodded. "They will be the first layer of defense. If your distraction works, you will take a good thousand of those and head to the Doors of Death. You and-" Melina glanced at Sophia before continuing, "-your partner will be leading that." Melina, using her left hand, shakily drew a circle over where the army was. "That will leave this section without a general. I take it that your father will be helping out with that section of the army while you're gone."

Melina pulled out another piece of paper out from her pocket, and, unfolding it, placed it on the table. "Here's the second line of defense. I've put the Ares campers up front because they're mostly close-range fighters. Behind the Ares campers, I put a line of mixed Hecate and Apollo. These guys will be fighting outside the Empire State building, in order to guard Olympus."

She flipped that piece of paper over, and on the back, there was one final line. "I call this the Big Three line, or the final line of defense. This line will be up on Mount Olympus. This line is split into two separate lines. I have yet to figure out who to put where, but I know a few things." Melina turned to face me and Percy. "The three of us need to be somewhat separated. Our blood is too powerful. If they get a hold of any of us, especially you too, being blood siblings, they could use us as a sacrifice. A _powerful_ sacrifice."

"I disagree with that statement," said Nico, his eyes on Sophia. "You guys are at your most powerful when you're together. In each other's presense, your powers will become much more powerful. Three is a powerful number in mythology. " His gaze rested on Melina. "There are three Furies, three Fates, three major gods. When you guys are together, united, your powers react with each other, almost merging their potency together. That what makes three children of the Big Three special. Separated, you are weak. Together, you are unstoppable. Not to mention technically illegal." Percy playfully punched Nico in the arm.

"Hey!" Percy protested. "You were too!"

"Nope!" Nico exclaimed happily. "I was born before World War Two!" Sophia rolled her eyes, and Melina tapped on the table.

"Back to this," she urged, and the boys averted their focus. "Either way, the three of us are going to be separated. I will command the armies above ground. While this is all going on, Percy will go on a solo quest to find and free Poseidon. And Sophia..." Melina trailed off, turning to fac eher best friend. Sophia was confused by this. She had sensed they were hiding something from her this entire time, but she said nothing about it.

"And Sophia," she said,a look of pain on her face, "you will go to the Underworld and eventually will go into Tartarus and invade Nemesis' troops."

At that moment, all hell broke loose.

**DUN DUN DUN! Tune in in a few days to figure out what exactly happened. FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AT WRITERSMAGNET! LOVE YOU ALL! KEEP ON WRITING!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry this took so long! Stupid chapter kept deleting. If you have ideas for one-shots for 'Living in Moments', leave them in the reviews!**

**Here's Chapter 10!**

Sophia wasn't even ready when a giant dog jumped at her, pushing her off her chair and pinning her to the floor. Sophia instantly had a hand to the handle of her sword, but she couldn't get it out with the monster on top of her. She wiggled around, but she wasn't strong enough to get the monster to move. After Tartarus, Sophia lost almost all her muscle mass and quite a bit of weight, and this proved against her right now. She managed to wiggle her skinny hand enough to get Lightning out of its sheath and and she stabbed the monster from underneath. It disintegrated, covering her in a thick layer of yellow dust.

Sophia scrambled to her feet, quickly assessing the situation. Melina was against the wall, fighting two monsters at a time. Percy and Nico were both fighting the houdns together, and Sophia saw that the house was flooded in a good two feet of water, and it was getting higher by the second. This was probably a result of Percy summoning water to aid him.

Sophia frantically looked around for her mom and her stepdad, but they were nowhere to be seen. Sophia panicked. They didn't have the weapons or the skill to be able to kill one. Sophia heard a voice behind her that she recognized

"These are Laelaps!" Melina screamed. "They're dogs that never fail to catch what they were hunting! _Someone was hunting for us!" _Sophia ran to the fire escape, assuming that her parents were out there. They weren't. Sophia's panic levels got worst.

They didn't get much better when she heard a growl behind her. Sophia turned around slowly, facing the Laelap. The dog was _huge,_ at least six feet tall, which was giant compared to Sophia's measly five feet. Its fur was a light brown, looking almost chestnut in the light, which contrasted its ugly eyes and giant mouth. Sophia slowly backed up until she hit the railing of the fire escape. _Di immortales_, she cussed in her head. Sophia gulped and looked down. There was no way in hell she could survive that high of a fall. Sophia drew her sword and charged. This dog, however, was way more skilled than the dog she found earlier, and it easily dodged her, pushing Sophia toward the railing, where Sophia fumbled for her balance. The dog approached her, victory evident in his eyes. He pushed Sophia, and she tripped over the railing, falling. Sophia managed to grip a railing befor eher vision faded to black

Sophia's vision changed, and she found herself restrained between two of Nemesis' minions. Sophia particularly hated these two; she named them 'Ugly' and 'Pissy'. They were cyclops that stood at a good seven feet. Each of them held one of Sophia's arms, preventing her from moving. Her legs were shackled together loosely. On her cheek, Sophia could feel a stinging sensation; a response of the cut on her cheek as it stood exposed to the air.

They were standing at the endge of a cliff. Sophia could feel a river rushing underneath her, but it didn't feel natural. It felt ugly and thick, like evil mollasses. Something told her that that water wasn't safe.

Nemesis turned around, smiling menacingly. "So, you refuse to join me?" Sophia nodded, refusing to let her willpower break. The goddess laughed. "What have the gods done for you?"

"They have protected me," Sophia managed through fear. She knew what was next, and she wasn't looking forward to it.

Nemesis chuckled. "You are so young," she said, giving an exaperated nod, "too ignorant to know anything about the gods. You think your father will protect you?" Sophia nodded again. "Then let us see them protect the great Sophia Jackson now!" Nemesis yelled, obviously aggravated at Sophia's faith. Pissy and Ugly led her toward the edge. Sophia looked down. It was a good ten stories high. At the bottom, a river rushed, the liquid black. She knew there was no way she could survive that high of a fall. However, Nemesis didn't seem like she wanted to kill her. If that was the case, it would've been easier to kill her when she brought her. Seemed like so much less trouble for Sophia.

Sophia looked back at the goddess with a malice. "If you think hurting me will hurt the gods, you're wrong," she said bravely. "All you're doing is aggravating them further." Nemesis laughed, an evil sound that made Sophia cringe.

"Throw her," she said, and at that command, Pissy and Ugly threw her off the cliff. Sophia blindly reached out, grabbing the ledge. She saw Nemesis smile and step on her fingers, letting her fall into the water.

The first thought that came to Sophia was that _she couldn't breathe_. _This isn't normal water_, Sophia realized, and she swam toward the surface, desperate for air. Just before she broke the surface, she felt the water grab her and pull her deeper. Sophia thrashed about, her body screaming for oxygen. _This must be what it feels like to drown,_ Sophia thought as she felt her organs slowly shutting down.

Sophia's world faded to a blackness. It was almost like someone put a thin veil over her entire body, making her senses seem almost translucent, like she had to think hard to use them. She could vaguely hear voices. They were quick, panicked.

"-How did she hold on?"

"-She's shaking."

"-Why isn't she waking up?"

"-Barely breathing."

"-Oh. gods."

These voices swirled around Sophia's head, giving her a headache. Who were these people? Why did they want her? What were they doing here?

She could feel someone have a hand in her hair, running their fingers through the soft strands. It was soothing, and it kept Sophia grounded, but she didn't like the idea of not knowing who it was. She felt someone thread hands behind her head and knees and scoop her up, carrying her bridal style. She strained to open her eyes, and after quite the effort, felt her eyelids open.

"Percy..." Sophia mumbled, her voice trailing. Her voice wasn't much higher than a whisper, but her brother heard her as he placed her down on her bed, propping her up on the bedrest. He crouched down beside her bed, meeting her eyes.

"Hey," he said, his green eyes scanning her. "You're shaking." He grabbed a blanket from the closet and wrapped it around her. Sophia gripped the blanket thankfully, her flashback still fresh in her mind. The flashback was so cold, it seemed to almost freeze her body. Just thinking about it brought a new round of shivers down her spine.

Sophia barely noticed Percy slip into her bed, putting her arms around her. She flinched at his hand, but she didn't pull away. She needed someone right now, especially after remembering what Nemesis was capable of. Her shivering increased as intense fear began to set in. Nemesis was going to get her and kill her. And there was nothing she could do about it.

Melina walked in with a cup of steaming hot chocolate and a plate of blue cookies. She sat beside her best friend, handing her the cup and putting the plate of cookies on the bed. Sophia held the cup with two hands, thankful for the warmth it gave her.

"Sophia, _tell me what happened_," Melina demanded. "It isn't healthy to-"

"_No_," Sophia snapped. "I can handle it, okay? Just leave it alone!" Sophia saw her best friend's face flush in anger.

"Alright? _Alright? You were hanging from the fire escape!"_ she exclaimed "Quit being selfish and _tell us what the hell happened!"_

"I'm being _selfish_?" Sophia yelled. "You're the one being selfish! If you'd stop being nosy, you'd realize that _this bothers me!_"

"At this point, I don't care!" Melina yelled back. "It's hurting you, and I want to know!"

"_NO!"_ Sophia screamed.

"Quit being a stupid little brat and tell me!" Melina said. "You're being so obnoxious! We just want to help you, for the god's sake!"

"If you were really my best friend, then you would drop it!" Sophia retorted. "I should've left you with Nemesis to rot!"

"I should've let the poison kill you, Sophia!" Melina shouted. "No one even wanted you here! You're just burden." Melina gestured to the door. "They only adopted you because they felt bad for a poor abused orphan-"

"Well, maybe if you weren't such an asshole, your mom wouldn't have whipped you!" Sophia screamed. Melina silenced, the words obviously hitting a nerve.

"I hate you," Melina said quietly as she walked to the door. As the door closed, a tense silence filled Sophia's room. She felt a perverse sort of pleasure for causing her best friend pain. _She deserved it_, said a voice deep in her head.

_No one even wanted you 're just burden._ Those words hit Sophia hard. A deep feeling inside her told her they were true. She wasn't intelligent like Melina, or Savior of Olympus like her brother. She was just a daughter of Poseidon, tiny and plain, who was full of emotional baggage that seemed to suffocate her. If she disappeared, Poseidon wouldn't even care. He probably wouldn't notice.

_Maybe fighting against the gods wasn't necessarily a bad thing_, Sophia thought. They were assholes that didn't even care. When Sophia was in Tartarus, no one gave a crud whether or not she lived or not. It's obvious Melina didn't care. She only got the poison to save Poseidon.

All Sophia wanted in life was someone who cared.

And that was when Sophia put a hand to her bracelet and teleported to the one person she knew someone cared about whether or not she was there.

_Nemesis._

**As sadistic as I am, I actually liked writing this chapter. Anyways, tune in ASAP for the next chapter! FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AT WRITERSMAGNET!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! I'm going to have to change my updating schedule; it will still be once a week, but I won't know what day. This is just because of how often my updates have been late or irregular.**

**IT HAS BEEN A YEAR SINCE I WROTE THE FIRST CHAPTER OF SOPHIA! (7/23/2012-7/23/2013) I can't believe I've written almost three novels in a year. I never thought I would even write one! I'm soo happy with how much my writing quality has grown in that year. I can hardly believe the support I've been getting. When I first made my Fanfiction, Wattpad, Quotev, and all my other writing websites, I didn't even expect to get followers! But on all my websites, I've had ridiculous love and support! This all wouldn't have been possibly without you guys, and I just want to thank you and love you!**

**Chapter 11 is dedicated to Talia Joy Castellano, who got her wings on July 16, 2013. Keep swimming in heaven, angel!**

Sophia was a real bitch

I ran out of the room, hiding my tears. I ran into Nico and Percy, but pushed past them as I ran for the fire escape. I needed to be alone to think.

_Maybe if you weren't such an asshole, your mom wouldn't have whipped you_. Those words rang through my mind. Sophia was right. If I had behaved, I wouldn't have been hit.

_I was five. It was my first day of kindergarten. I was walking home, my brunette pigtails bouncing in the wind as I skipped home. I couldn't wait to tell Mom how my first day had been. I opened the front door, which was unlocked. I didn't notice how suspicious that was. The second I closed the door behind me, I turned to find Mommy standing there._

_"Why were you late?" she slurred, obviously drunk. I walked backwards, my back against the wall. I winced when I hit the wall._

_"Mommy, I wasn't late. I was-"_

_"FIVE MINUTES LATE!" she bellowed. "BEND YOUR UNWORTHY ASS OVER THE COUCH NOW! FIFTY LASHES! TEN FOR EACH MINUTE YOU WERE LATE!" I whimpered as I hurried over to the couch, bending over so my butt was in the air. I heard the crack of the whip as it came down on my back. After five lashes, I was bawling, begging for her to stop. When she didn't, I rolled out of the way, falling on the floor, edging toward the phone._

_"Oh, so you want to do this the hard way, you little cunt?" Mommy couldn't even walk straight as she hurried toward me. I didn't make a move. She grabbed a beer bottle, and I whimpered. She shattered over my head, and, as I was losing consciousness, I had shards of glass embedded into my arm as I rolled around, avoiding the other hits. The last thing I heard before the world went black was: "You deserve this."_

If I hadn't come home late from school, Mom wouldn't have hit me. It was all my fault. I was a bad girl.

Arms wrapped around my waist from behind, and I turned around, surprised to find Percy standing behind me. He gripped me in a hug and I began to sob in his chest, thankful for his company.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, patting my back. And so we sat on the floor of the fire escape, and he held me in his arms as I sobbed for gods know how long. When I finally felt decent enough to go inside, Percy had an arm around me, leading me through the door and to the couch. Nico sat in the adjacent armchair, polishing his sword, a three-foot, jet black, Stygian iron sword. I couldn't help the butterflies that fluttered in my stomach. As much as I hated him right now, he looked so cute when he was concentrating on something. When he saw me, he sheathed the sword, leaning forward.

"Alright, so let's discuss what happened," I began, awkwardly trying to start conversation.

"What's there to discuss? We were ambushed." said Nico, aggravated.

"You called them Laelaps?" Percy asked. "What are those?" I sighed. Percy's knowledge of Greek myths was sketchy at best, and I hated having to explain them.

"So in all basicness, a Laelap was supposed to be this dog that never failed to catch its prey," I explained. "It was a gift to Procris from Artemis. So Procris sent the dog to catch the Teumessian Fox, which was a fox that was never to be caught. Well, sending a dog that always catch their prey after a fox that can never be caught was a bit of a paradox, so Zeus, confused by this, took both animals and made them into constellations."

Percy nodded. "Okay, but as far as I see, there is only one Laelap. Why in the gods is there more than one?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, honestly, but that means we need to be more careful. Four children of the Big Three in one household is way too many. We must be a beacon to every monster in the United States!" The boys nodded.

"So what's the plan then?" Nico asked.

"Exactly what I had planned before," I said. " We split up. Percy, head to Long Island Sound. Get Poseidon. Nico, go to the Underworld with Sophia-" I held back the anger that flared within me at the mention of her name. That bitch! "-and begin rounding up the army. I will head to Camp Half-Blood and help with the troops. We leave as soon as possible. Any questions?" Percy raised his hand awkwardly.

"Wait, what happened between you and Sophia?" Percy asked. Rage boiled within me as well as an overwhelming sadness. I looked down at my knees, and began picking at the blood soaked bandages that covered my wrist. It hurt a lot still, but I was able to push it to the back of my mind.

"Not important," I said quickly. I turned to Nico. "Can you shadow travel me quickly to Camp?" I was desperate to get out of here. I didn't want any more questions aimed at me. Nico nodded.

"Sure. Grab my hand, and don't hesitate." He held out his hand, and electricity spanned my body, giving me goosebumps at his touch. He ran toward the wall, and I ran with him, closing my eyes as we neared the wall.

I had shadow traveled before, so I was totally used to the entire my-face-is-being-ripped-off part by now. Blackness absorbed us, and after a minute, it faded, and I found myself in the familiar woods within Camp. Nico and I were still holding hands, and we quickly broke apart, embarrassed, when we noticed. He glanced down at my wrists.

"Melina, you better get that wrist checked out," he said "It's been a few hours, and it's still dripping blood!" I looked down at it, surprised to find blood leaking from the bandages and dripping to the ground. He had a good point.

"Thanks," I replied. "I will." He opened his mouth to say something, but probably thought against it as he turned around, running into the shadows. When he disapperaed, I quickly ran to the Apollo cabin, clutching my wrist to my body.

When I reached the cabin, I was surprised to find it totally empty except for a boy sitting on his bed, a guitar in hand. Sprawled on his bed were a few spirals, one of which contained lined manuscript paper. The manuscript spirals was full of music notes, and the other spiral had Greek writing in it. The boy finished writing something, and he played a few guitar chords that filled the air, making my knees go weak. The music was heavenly, like angels were playing a musical instrument. The guy looked up from his guitar, and I recognized him as Will.

He began to smile at me, but then he noticed my arm. "Oh gods, Melina. Are you alright? Sit down. Or better, lie down. You've lost quite a bit of blood already." I began to protest as he led me up some stairs in the corner of the room. The stairs led to a fairly large infirmary, which was currently empty.

"Lie down on that bed," he commanded as he walked to another side of the room, where he rummaged through a little closet for stuff. I nodded, sitting down at the bed as I began nervously picking at the bandages. They were totally soaked with blood, and I felt a bit dizzy, but it wasn't too bad. I would live.

Will placed a handful of stuff on the table beside the bed. "What happened?" he asked as he picked up a pair of scissors and began snipping at the bandages on my arm. I hesitated, meeting his adorably cute blue eyes.

"I'd rather not say." I said. He frowned, looking down at the exposed cut.

"This is deep, Melina! Why did you wait so long to get proper treatment?" I shrugged, and he gave me an exasperated nod. "How long has this been bleeding?"

"A good four to six hours." I winced. Damn. That was too ridiculously long.

"Four to six _hours_? That's it, you've lost too much blood. You're lying down, now." I protested as he forced me down on the bed. He shifted himself on the bed so that he could work on my arm while. His cute blonde eyebrows scrunched in concentration as he tried to clean the wound off with some water.

"Yeah, this needs some serious healing. Hold still. This will burn pretty badly." He put a hand lightly to the wound and began to sing a hymn to Apollo. Each word caused a burning feeling to escalate, and I bit back a scream, a few tears escaping from my eyes. When he finished, his face had paled significantly, and he looked down at the wound. "Yeah, this need some serious healing. I was able to do a little bit, but you're going to have to go see Chiron. He'll be able to heal it a little more extensively. Meanwhile, I'll bandage it. When it starts leaking blood again, you'll probably feel a bit tired. When the blood has soaked the bandage, go to Chiron. Okay?" I nodded, and he began covering the wound with ointment and gauze. He looked up at my head after a minute, and after placing a hand on my forehead on my head, pushed a few strands of hair out of my face.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, leaning over me. In all honestly, I just wanted to curl up in a ball and nap for two hundred years. I was just so physically and mentally drained; so much happened today that my body couldn't handle. But I couldn't do that just yet. I had shit I had to take care of.

In all honestly, I was done being a demigod. Every good thing in our lives was torn apart. Being a demigod meant the world was held on my shoulders constantly. I was counted on to right the wrongs that the gods did. It was exhausting and annoying. This life ruined me, down to even my best friend.

My best friend. Anger surged within me. That BITCH! Who did she think she was? All she wanted was attention, and sure as hell was that what she got! She didn't give a shit how anyone else felt. Selfish asshole. I could do so much better than her.

I looked up at Will, his blue eyes still trained on my face, almost like he was memorizing every little detail of it. I scanned his face. Will was really cute, with large blue eyes framed with thick eyelashes that made him look like he was eyeliner. His bright blonde hair was a little long, and as he bent over to look at my face, little strands hovered over me. His tiny lips where slightly parted, and that's when I realized how close we were. I could feel his breath on my face. It smelled of mint and strawberries. He leaned down a little bit, and I found myself leaning up.

What I did next was totally instinctive: I kissed him.

His lips were warm, soft against mine, and I pulled him closer with my good hand. The kiss quickly turned heated. I was desperate for him, and he was hungry for me.

It was all perfect, until an image of a dark haired beauty filled my head. NICO! I broke the kiss, turning my head away. I stood up.

"Thanks so much Will," I said shakily, "for everything. But I really gotta go." I ran out of the room before he even had the chance to reply.

I ran to Cabin Three, collapsing on my bed. I was so confused! Part of me still loved Nico, but he was obviously an asshole not interested in me. Will's cute, but who did I really like? I mean, Nico's a jerk. He ditched with just a note. Why did I care so much about him?

And Will...I don't know. I like him. He's really sweet, and obviously gives a crap about me. Did I like him? Yeah, a little bit. But I loved Nico. Gods! This was so damn confusing!

I must've dozed off, because I was startled awake by Erin jumping on my back.

"Come on, Melina! Chiron wants you! Wake up!" I groaned, and I sat up in bed.

"Go tell him I'll be there in a few minutes," I said as she ran out. Gods, that child had energy. I looked down at my sheets, surprised to find a pool of blood sitting there. I glanced at my wrist, and a wave of dizziness flooded through me. The blood leaked through. Shit.

I don't think I've ever ran to the Big House faster than at that moment. Thankfully, it wasn't too far, and I sprinted, clutching my arm the entire way. I burst through the doors, surprising Chiron and Mr. D. who were sitting around the table playing pinochle. Chiron glanced at my arm for a second before hurriedly trotting toward me.

"Melina, what happened? Are you alright?" he asked quickly, his expert hands easily unwrapping the bandages. "Mr D., would you be so kind as to grab the first-aid kit for me?" I saw Mr. D. stand up, cursing under his breath as he got the first-aid kit from a nearby cabinet. Chiron led me to the couch, where he sat down beside me.

"Aphrodite did this," I told him, gritting my teeth as he poured an antiseptic over it. "She got mad, and branded the words 'infinite' into my wrist. It hasn't stopped bleeding since."

"My sister _does_ have a tendency to lose her temper," said Mr. D. from the table. "I should know; we've had a few one-night stands-"

"-When was this?" he asked, interrupting Dionysus. I was glad; I did _not_ want to hear the details of his relationship between him and Aphrodite. "You have lost quite an amount of blood."

"This morning," I explained. "When I got back to Camp, Will treated it a little, but he told me you were the only person who could fully stop the bleeding." He nodded, and put a hand to the wound. He murmured some words in a language I couldn't understand and his hand glowed. When he removed his hand, the cut had stopped bleeding, but was still a deep cut that needed to be tended to. He put some ointment wrapped it in a fresh bandage.

He handed me a bottle of nectar. "Drink this. It will help with your blood levels." I nodded, taking a few careful sips of the godly drink.

"So...you called me?" I asked. I was pretty sure Will hadn't told Chiron about my arm, so there had to be another reason.

"I wanted to talk to you about Sophia," he said. Concern was written all over his face, and I found it nice that he cared for his students so much. "How are her flashbacks?" The argument that had happened a few hours ago flashed through my mind, bringing emotions with it.

And that was probably when my anger got the best of me.

**TUNE IN NEXT WEEK FOR THE NEXT PART! LOVE YOU ALL! DON"T FORGET TO REVIEW AND FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AT WRITERSMAGNET! Until next time, keep on writing! **


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